Heavy storms hit Italy’s regions, killing 2 in Tuscany

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) - Two people were killed by falling trees in Italy’s central Tuscany region on Thursday as bad weather hit the north and the center of the country causing extensive damages, rescue service and local authorities said.

The two victims were a man hit by a tree in the Lucca province and a woman in the province of Carrara. Another four people were wounded by falling trees at a camping site close to the town of Marina di Massa.

Heavy rains and strong winds also hit Florence, where a man was hurt by a flying branch while he was at an open market.

Violent thunderstorms caused damages in the coastal Versilia area, where umbrellas and chairs were blown away in several of its famous beach resorts.

In the northern Liguria region, strong winds hit the coast between Chiavari and Sestri Levante, causing problems on the Genoa-La Spezia train line, where some beach huts fell on the tracks and damaged the electrical power line.

Five families were evacuated in the nearby Tigullio area after a tornado hit the area and damaged their homes.

Italy is currently split in two, with rainstorms and violent winds across the northern and central regions and record-high temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius in the south.

On Wednesday, wildfires destroyed dozens of hectares of Mediterranean vegetation in the southern island of Pantelleria, forcing 30 people to evacuate their houses, threatened by the flames.