Flash floods kill 20 in Italy

October 3rd, 2009 - 4:44 am ICT by IANS ( 1 comment )

Rome, Oct 3 (Xinhua) At least 20 people were killed and 35 missing in flash floods in southern Italy, officials said Friday.
The government has declared a state of emergency in the flood-hit town of Messina.

The floods were caused by a storm that started Thursday night.

Officials said more than 450 people have become homeless in the deluge.

Mudslides have cut off access to some of the areas forcing rescuers to get there on foot.

Boats and helicopters were pressed into service for the rescue work.

At least 40 injured people were taken to hospital.

Messina’s mayor Giuseppe Buzzanca said rescuers were using dogs to search for the missing.

He said the rescue efforts were hampered as many road and rail routes were damaged in mudslides.

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One Response

  1. Gina Bryant Says:

    We are searching for a woman who lived in Pescara in centre of Italy. We know her name is Laura & her nickname was Jack. She has not been seen nor heard by anyone from her precious internet groups. She would never just go away without letting us know where she was going & how long she’d be gone. We do have a picture of her. Most of us are from the U.S. but consider our online friend Linda a very dear friend and are worried about her safety due to the flooding. We are trying to see who we can contact about this to find out the whereabouts of our missing friend. Respectfully Gina Bryant

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