Unprecedented rainfall caused flash flooding that devastated several towns in Italy’s mountainous Marche region Thursday, leaving at least ten people dead and four missing.
The unexpected downpour across the Adriatic province has ravaged streets, ruined buildings and wrecked vehicles, footage of the incident showed. Another video showed first responders searching the region in inflatable rescue boats. (RELATED: Extreme Drought Reveals Enormous Unexploded WWII Munition In Riverbed)
At least 9 people have been killed by torrential rains and #floods in the central Italian region of Marche. Around 400 millimeters of rain fell within two to three hours. That’s a third of the amount usually received in a year. #Italy #Cantiano #flooding pic.twitter.com/l3vno1URdJ
— Our World (@MeetOurWorld) September 16, 2022
#BREAKING: Death toll from catastrophic flooding in Cantiano in Italy’s Marche region hits 11; two adults and two children still unaccounted for pic.twitter.com/GRCvrsKDCY
— I.E.N. (@BreakingIEN) September 16, 2022
The Marche region experienced “about one-third of the rainfall you’d usually get in a year” over the span of just a few hours, Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Italy’s civil protection department, stated, according to The Washington Post.
The floods ripped a son from his mother’s arms, but he was eventually rescued, Riccardo Pasqualini, the mayor of the Italian town of Barbara, told Italian state radio, according to ABC News. Pasqualini also reported that a mother and daughter were swept away trying to escape the waters of the city and claimed that the deluge left Barbara’s 1,300 residents without potable water, the outlet noted.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi attributed the sudden downfall to climate change, the New York Post reported.
Terribili le immagini dell’#alluvione che ha colpito le Marche. A nome mio e di FdI massima solidarietà alla popolazione, ci stringiamo intorno alle famiglie delle vittime. Siamo pronti a dare alla Regione e al presidente @AcquaroliF, che ho sentito questa mattina, pieno sostegno pic.twitter.com/s7FDVsERnf
— Giorgia Meloni 🇮🇹 ن (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 16, 2022
Giorgia Meloni, who is expected to succeed Draghi as prime minister after the Sept. 25 election, expressed her sympathies on social media.