One of the dead was an 80-year-old man who was carried by water on his bicycle. Another victim was buried under the rubble of a collapsed house.
In a short time, as much rain as the region has seen in the entire month fell. The area between the cities of Ravenna and Bologna was badly affected. The Lamon River overflowed its banks.
Evacuation of the population
According to local media, up to 5,000 people must be evacuated. Many roads and railways were closed and many people were without gas, water or electricity.
In recent years, northern Italy has been in the news mainly because of drought. The water level of the Po River, which flows through torrential rain-stricken Emilia-Romagna, has never been as low as it was in the summer of last year. The region was also experiencing a drought this spring.
comparable
Last year something similar happened in the Marche region, a little more south. After being dry there for a long time, a torrential rain suddenly fell. Eleven people were killed at that time.
The Italian Central Bank warned earlier of the economic damage that the climate crisis will cause in the north of the country. According to the bank, extreme weather threatens agriculture and tourism, among other things.
Other European countries are also affected by severe weather. In southern Spain, it is so hot that heat records are being broken. You can see how the tourists there deal with 40 degrees in this video:
