At least two people were killed in France and a stretch of elevated highway collapsed in Italy as heavy rains pounded the region over the weekend, trapping travelers, downing trees and unleashing mudslides on picturesque sites along the Mediterranean shore.
A 30-meter (100-foot) section of highway along a viaduct near the flooded Italian coastal city of Savona collapsed Sunday, authorities said.
In images from Italian television, rescuers could be seen searching the area for possible casualties. News reports said a landslide on a rain-soaked hillside might have triggered the collapse.
Rescuers intervening after a viaduct section of the A6 highway between Turin and Savona collapsed following a landslide near Savona
A submerged car remains in the middle of flooded streets due to heavy rain fall that hit the Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
People stand under an umbrella as they look at the levels of an overflowing river Po, in the Murazzi area of Turin, northern Italy
The forecast for the next few days shows rain will continue to fall over France and Italy until conditions brighten up on Tuesday
Waves crash on the street in Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France as heavy wind and rain batter parts of Europe this weekend
Waves flood the street in Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France. French authorities are searching for two people missing in the floods, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said today
People use a canoe in the middle of submerged streets due to heavy rainfalls that hit the Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
A firefighter cleans up after flooding due to heavy rainfalls that hit the Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
Flooding in Turin, northwest Italy, prompted the cancellation of a marathon and in France, Nice airport was briefly closed Saturday.
Rivers leading from the Alps to the French Riviera broke their banks, with images on French media showing cars peeking above inundated streets and waves slamming onto roadsides.
A rescue boat sank while bringing three people to shore near the French town of Muy, and one of them died, the Var regional administration said. Another person was found dead in a car in the town of Cabasse.
French authorities are searching for two people missing in the floods, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said today.
Locals look out at the flooded streets due to heavy rainfalls that hit the Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
Abandoned cars sit in water in a flooded area near a firefighters’ truck after heavy rains in Le Muy, southeastern France
The swollen Po river in Sannazzaro, near Pavia, northern Italy. In Turin, the Po River overran its banks and flooded the medieval quarter and a popular riverside strolling area known as the Murazzi
France’s interior minister visited the affected area Sunday, as authorities worked to restore electricity to thousands of homes
An aerial view of flooded areas following heavy rains in Le Luc, southeastern France. French national weather service Meteo France said the area absorbed the equivalent of two months of average rainfall in 24 hours
People stand in a balcony in a flooded area after heavy rains in Le Muy, southeastern France
People use a canoe in the middle of submerged streets due to heavy rainfalls that hit Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
A woman walks in a flooded street after heavy rains in Le Muy, southeastern France this weekend
In Italy, rescuers searched for a woman swept away by the surging Bormida river in the north.
Rain-swollen rivers and flooded streets plagued Italy, where it has been raining, sometimes heavily, in much of the country nearly every day for about two weeks.
In Turin, the Po River overran its banks and flooded the medieval quarter and a popular riverside strolling area known as the Murazzi.
Some 150 people were evacuated from homes in Liguria, Italy’s hilly northwest coastal region. The region struggled with mudslides that blocked several roads, isolating hamlets.
In Genoa, the region’s principal city Boccadasse, a former fishing village with pastel-painted houses, was flooded after the sea rushed over retaining walls and onto the seaside road.
Venice was partially flooded, but the high tide’s level of nearly 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) in late morning was not unusual for the lagoon city accustomed to the phenomenon of ‘acqua alta,’ (high water).
The river Po floods the Murazzi area due to heavy rain in Turin, Italy. The Meisino and Fioccardo areas are under observation for possible flooding in the coming hours, media reported
Bad weather continued to affect the north of Italy, where flooding affected the Murazzi area and the Medieval Village in Turin
A submerged car remains in the middle of flooded streets due to heavy rain fall that hit Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
The wet weather is continuing to move east wards and there will be strong winds through the Mediterranean
A submerged car remains in the middle of flooded streets due to heavy rain fall that hit Var department overnight in Le Muy, France
That level was nearly 60 centimeters (two feet) lower than the exceptionally high wind-driven tide that devastated the art-rich tourist destination earlier this month.
Venetians and visitors walked on strategically placed raised walkways or sloshed in boots through water that quickly receded to mid-calf level, then ankle-level.
In parts of the south, cars churned through high water and several motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles in flooded streets in Reggio Calabria, a city in the southern ‘toe’ of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula, RAI state TV said.
In Puglia authorities in the city of Lecce ordered as a precaution on Sunday the closing of parks and cemeteries for fear that storm-battered trees might crash onto visitors, the Italian news agency ANSA said.
France’s interior minister visited the affected area Sunday, as authorities worked to restore electricity to thousands of homes.
French national weather service Meteo France said the area absorbed the equivalent of two months of average rainfall in 24 hours.
Venice has continued to be swamped by floods this weekend just 11 days after the city’s highest water levels in 50 years killed two people and caused chaos.
New images show the floods continuing to plague the city as people wade through the streets and try to salvage their businesses as residents braced themselves for another, though smaller, high tide today.
Key buildings which are within the World Heritage area are threatened due to the high water levels.
Municipal workers set up a footbridge for pedestrians on the flooded St. Mark’s Square, by St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy today
New images show the floods continuing to plague the city as people wade through the streets and try to salvage their businesses
Tourists and locals walk near the Piazza San Marco in Venice today. The city suffered heavy damage when floodwaters reached one of the highest levels in more than 50 years this month
Venice suffered heavy damage when floodwaters reached one of the highest levels in more than 50 years this month.
An elderly local man from Pellestrina, one of the many islands in the Venetian lagoon, died when he was struck by lightning while using an electric water pump, the fire brigade said.
The body of another man was found in his home.
The city’s historic Saint Mark’s Basilica (pictured) will need millions of euros of restoration work after its delicate marble mosaics were exposed to destructive salt water, its curator said
More than 85% of Venice was flooded this month, authorities said, including the historic St Mark’s basilica in the centre of the city
Churches, shops and homes have also been inundated in the city, a Unesco world heritage site. Pictured: People walk across the flooded St. Mark’s Square by the Bell Tower
People walk in a flooded street during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, Italy today. Many businesses have had to close down
Hotels reported cancelled reservations, some as far ahead as December, after the widespread sharing of images of the city underwater
Tourists and locals walk near the Rialto Bridge at night as they try their best to carry on with normal life after the devastation
A man outside the Caffe Quadri in flooded St. Mark’s Square during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, Italy today
Tourists take photos on the flooded St. Mark’s Square, by the Bell Tower and St. Mark’s Basilica
A worker walks in a flooded St. Mark’s Square during a period of seasonal high water in Venice, Italy
While the Italian city regularly experiences flooding in autumn and winter, recent floods, which peaked at six feet (1.8 metres) above sea level, are a clear indication of worsening climate change, experts have said.
Scientists added that global warming causes rising sea levels and more extreme weather events, from heavier rain and storms to stronger winds that can push water toward the lagoon.
Venice has since 2003 worked on installing a system of flood protection gates called MOSE – the Experimental Electromechanical Module.
But the project, intended to keep high tides and other floodwaters out of the lagoon, has bogged down in a myriad of problems.
The worst recorded flooding to hit Venice came in 1966, when 6.4 feet (1.9 metres) swept into the city.
After that, UNESCO launched an International Safeguarding Campaign and undertook work to restore and repair artworks and monuments.