1 dead, hundreds displaced as heavy rains hit northern Italy

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) – At least one person was killed and hundreds of others were displaced as torrential rains hit Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region on Tuesday night, local authorities said.

A man in his 80s drowned after being swept away by floods while he was riding his bicycle in Castel Bolognese, in the province of Ravenna, the town's mayor said.

Firefighters were also searching through the debris of a collapsed house in Fontanelice, in the Bologna province, following a landslide. One person was feared to be inside the house at the time, rescuers said.

More than 250 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the region overnight due to the floods. The army has been called in to help local firefighters, who carried out 400 interventions in the region overnight.

Some rivers in the area hit by the rain have reached dangerous levels and Italy’s national rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato was forced to suspend many train services.

Roads were closed in the provinces of Bologna and Ravenna due to the landslides caused by the rain.

Italy has been suffering in recent years from prolonged periods of drought, but experts said that extreme weather events, like storms and floodings, are also becoming more frequent due to climate change.