New footage shows devastation of Italian floods: Entire towns are submerged beneath water

The ‘apocalyptic’ floods wreaking havoc across northern Italy have left entire towns submerged under water and seen roads swept away in dramatic landslides as locals struggle to come to terms with the carnage.

New footage shows the extent of the devastation of the deadly floods that have killed at least nine people in the popular holiday region of Emilia-Romagna, with streets turned into fast-moving rivers.

Video shows houses and cars submerged beneath water in dozens of historic towns including in Luga, Ravenna, and Cesara, as rescuers desperately try and reach families trapped within their homes.

Desperate families – including young children and the elderly – were forced to clamber on to their roofs in the tourist hotspot as they waited anxiously to be rescued in helicopters.

A video shows one desperate pregnant woman being rescued from her home by firefighters in a helicopter as the water rises around the building. The rescuers carefully lowered a basket down to the woman’s home where she was helped by a firefighter before being lifted into the helicopter.

At least nine people have been killed in the region – including a 60-year-old woman whose body was dragged 12 miles down a river – and there are fears the death toll will rise further as several people are missing amid the carnage.

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The ‘apocalyptic’ floods wreaking havoc across northern Italy have left entire towns submerged under water and seen roads swept away in dramatic landslides (pictured) as locals struggle to come to terms with the devastation

Pictured: Houses in the town of Cesara are submerged under water on Wednesday

Pictured: Houses in the town of Cesara are submerged under water on Wednesday 

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A video shows one desperate pregnant woman being rescued from her home by firefighters in a helicopter as the water rises around the building. The rescuers carefully lowered a basket down to the woman’s home where she was helped by a firefighter before being lifted into the helicopter

The body of a 60-year-old woman, whose husband, 70, also died in the extreme weather, was found on the beach near Cesenatico after her body had been dragged 12 miles down a river. 

Two bodies were recovered by divers yesterday in Forli after the Montone river burst its banks. The town’s mayor said the floods are the ‘worst situation’ the town has ever experienced.

The devastating floods have swept cars away and video shows an entire road in Emilia-Romagna being swept away in a devastating landslide.

The floods have seen thousands of Italians evacuated from their now destroyed homes – and the flooding shows no sign of abating.

Authorities in the city of Ravenna issued an immediate evacuation order today for three villages threatened by floods. 

Buses were being sent to help residents leave Villanova di Ravenna, Filetto and Roncalceci after the river Lamone burst its banks.

Nearly two dozen rivers and streams have flooded across the southeast of the Emilia Romagna region following downpours earlier this week, submerging entire neighbourhoods and farmland.

More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and hundreds of landslides were reported, regional officials said.

People are rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after devastating floods turned streets into rivers

People are rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after devastating floods turned streets into rivers

Residents remove mud and debris after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday

Residents remove mud and debris after heavy rains hit Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday

People are rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after deadly floods tore through the town

People are rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after deadly floods tore through the town

Damaged cars that were swept away in the floods are seen stranded in the San Rocco district

Damaged cars that were swept away in the floods are seen stranded in the San Rocco district 

An aerial view taken on May 18 shows a supermarket's flooded parking lot in the town of Cesena, after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region

An aerial view taken on May 18 shows a supermarket’s flooded parking lot in the town of Cesena, after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region

An aerial view taken on May 18 shows a flooded street in the town of Cesena, after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region

An aerial view taken on May 18 shows a flooded street in the town of Cesena, after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region

The streets of Cesena have been turned into mud after the nearby river burst its banks on Thursday

The streets of Cesena have been turned into mud after the nearby river burst its banks on Thursday 

Residents remove debris after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Cesena, Italy, on Thursday

Residents remove debris after heavy rains hit Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, in Cesena, Italy, on Thursday 

An aerial view taken on Thursday shows residents clearing mud in a street of Cesena

An aerial view taken on Thursday shows residents clearing mud in a street of Cesena

A supermarket's flooded parking lot - where cars have been swept away by the water - is seen in Cesena on Thursday

A supermarket’s flooded parking lot – where cars have been swept away by the water – is seen in Cesena on Thursday

A church is flooded with water after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Castel Bolognese, Italy, on Thursday

A church is flooded with water after heavy rains hit Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, in Castel Bolognese, Italy, on Thursday 

Military officers assist a person on a dinghy after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday

Military officers assist a person on a dinghy after heavy rains hit Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday

A panoramic view shows the Imola racetrack on Thursday after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy's northern Emilia Romagna region. The F1 race this weekend has now been cancelled

A panoramic view shows the Imola racetrack on Thursday after heavy rains caused flooding across Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region. The F1 race this weekend has now been cancelled

The rain stopped mid-afternoon on Wednesday and meteorologists said they expected no significant rainfall on Thursday.

‘But when we have six months of rain in 36 hours, falling where there had already been record rain two weeks ago, there is no territory that can hold out,’ Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna region, told La7 television channel late Wednesday.

‘We had an estimated two billion (euros) of damages two weeks ago… the ground no longer absorbs anything,’ Bonaccini said.

Two people died in the same region earlier this month after 48 hours of almost continuous rain.

Italy’s armed forces and the coastguard have joined the emergency effort, deploying helicopters to lift desperate residents from their homes and inflatable boats to reach houses surrounded on all sides by water.

As the floods receded in some areas, residents were left cleaning homes and streets thick with mud and filled with debris.

‘I’ve lived here since 1979, I’ve seen floods go by, but I’ve never seen anything like that,’ Edoardo Amadori, a resident of the city of Cesena, said on Wednesday.

Thousands of farms in the fertile agricultural area were affected, but Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said the water would have to subside before the government could quantify the damage.

The flooding caused the cancellation of Sunday’s Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix scheduled in Imola, with organisers saying they could not guarantee the safety of fans, teams and staff.

A flooded house is submerged in the water in the town of Cesena, Italy, on Thursday

A flooded house is submerged in the water in the town of Cesena, Italy, on Thursday 

Flooded buildings are submerged in the water in the town of Cesena on Thursday

Flooded buildings are submerged in the water in the town of Cesena on Thursday 

A view of a waterlogged building with debris around after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Castel Bolognese, Italy, on Thursday

A view of a waterlogged building with debris around after heavy rains hit Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, in Castel Bolognese, Italy, on Thursday

Flooded bungalows in Cesena after heavy rains caused major flooding

Flooded bungalows in Cesena after heavy rains caused major flooding

Firefighters rescue inhabitants of the Romiti district after the flooding of the Montone river on Wednesday night

Firefighters rescue inhabitants of the Romiti district after the flooding of the Montone river on Wednesday night 

This weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off due to extreme rain in Imola

This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off due to extreme rain in Imola

A shopping centre in Cesana is flooded after the Savio river burst its banks

A shopping centre in Cesana is flooded after the Savio river burst its banks

Cars are partially submerged along a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese, Italy, Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Cars are partially submerged along a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese, Italy, Wednesday, May 17, 2023

A man awaits rescue by helicopter on the roof of his flooded house in  the town of Faenza in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna today

A man awaits rescue by helicopter on the roof of his flooded house in  the town of Faenza in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna today

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