Death toll in Italy storms rises to nine
The death toll from fierce storms battering Italy has risen to nine, civil protection authorities said Tuesday, as wild weather caused schools to close and trapped dozens of tourists in the north of the country.
With ferocious storms lashing the country, winds reached up to 180 kilometers an hour in some areas, toppling trees and causing flooding. Five people were confirmed dead on Monday.
In addition, authorities Tuesday reported a woman died when her home was engulfed by a mudslide and rocks in the northern region of Trentino, a man was killed in the northeastern region of Veneto when by a falling tree, and a firefighter died during relief operations in South Tyrol.
Elsewhere, a man was killed while kitesurfing on Monday afternoon near the town of Cattolica on the Adriatic coast, with the local press saying strong winds had blown his board into the rocks. A man is also missing at sea off Calabria in the southwest, after his boat was discovered empty washed up on the rocks along the coast.
