The severe bad weather that has occurred in recent hours, especially in the province of Catania, has left at least two dead and one missing.
Severe bad weather hit Sicily and in particular Catania, the second most important city on the Italian island, killing at least one person in flooding according to the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore .
The daily reports that a 53-year-old man died in Gravina di Catania and his body was found under a car. According to the first elements, the victim would have got out of his vehicle, perhaps after a road accident, when it was submerged by water.
Many images circulate on social networks where we can see the streets of Catania hit by the floods that affected the whole city, including the historic center. Several power outages have occurred in particular in the districts of the city and emergency services had to intervene with rubber dinghies to rescue motorists.
La situazione a #Catania è questa pic.twitter.com/KruUVXKbCo
— Mairon | ᚬ 9 ᛅ ♏︎ (@Mairon_AAI) October 26, 2021
The Italian authorities have urged the population not to leave their homes while the cyclonic storm passes. Two days earlier, a couple in their sixties had been washed away in Scordia, in the province of Catania according to Corriere della Sera . Only the body of the husband has so far been found.
Other towns in Sicily were also affected by the severe weather, especially in Messina where the rivers quickly overflowed. Landslides also occurred, affecting traffic in the area. Conditions also affected boat navigation, putting some ships in difficulty. An exceptional meteorological episode which may however last until the end of the week.