Floods kill five as storms thrash Italy

ROME: At least five people have died in violent rainstorms sweeping across Italy on Sunday, with the Tuscan city of Livorno taking the brunt of the flooding, fire services said, reports AFP.

Four people from the same family were found dead in a flooded house in the city, where 40 centimetres (one foot, 4 inches) of rainfall in four hours transformed streets into rivers and washed away cars.

The Corriere della Sera daily said the dead were a little girl, her parents and a grandparent. A fifth body was found in an area devastated by landslides. Three other people were missing, the fire brigade said.

"The situation is very difficult, it's critical. We fear a disaster," Livorno mayor Filippo Nogarin said.

Italy's civil protection service issued a code orange alert for Florence as the storms, which began in northern Italy overnight, swept down the country towards the south.

Floods kill five as storms thrash Italy

ROME: At least five people have died in violent rainstorms sweeping across Italy on Sunday, with the Tuscan city of Livorno taking the brunt of the flooding, fire services said, reports AFP. Four people from the same family were found dead in a flooded house in the city, where 40 centimetres (one foot, 4 inches) of rainfall in four hours transformed streets into rivers and washed away cars. The Corriere della Sera daily said the dead were a little girl, her parents and a grandparent. A fifth body was found in an area devastated by landslides. Three other people were missing, the fire brigade said. The situation is very difficult, its critical. We fear a disaster, Livorno mayor Filippo Nogarin said. Italys civil protection service issued a code orange alert for Florence as the storms, which began in northern Italy overnight, swept down the country towards the south.