‘WATER BOMB’

Child Strapped in Car Seat Swept Away in Italy Flash Floods

Authorities said at least 10 people died when more than 15 inches of rain fell in just three hours in an area devastated by drought.

ROME—Two young children died after being swept away in a torrential storm that devastated the Marche region of central Italy overnight. Authorities said at least 10 people were killed when more than 15 inches of rain fell in less than three hours. On Friday, at least four people remained missing.

One of the children died when the car he was in with his mother was swept away in the torrents formed by the rain. The mother was rescued but the child was strapped into a car seat in the back.

Rescue workers had to use rafts to reach homes and cars inundated by flash floods in the area that had previously made headlines due to an extreme drought and heatwave during one of the hottest summers on record.

On Friday, business owners with ground-floor establishments were left to sift through mud and water. Many reported a complete loss of their businesses.

Forecasters had predicted rain showers, but authorities said they did not anticipate such a dramatic storm. “We were given a normal alert for rain,” Stefano Aguzzi, head of civil protection said Friday. “But nobody had expected anything like this.”

Authorities say the “water bomb” was made worse by the dry conditions. As the rain fell, the land was too parched to absorb it, causing flash flooding. The mayor of one of the hardest hit hamlets likened it to other natural disasters. Ludovico Caverni, mayor of Serra Sant’Abbondio, said the downpour was “like an earthquake.”

The deadly storm is the latest in extreme weather to sweep Italy. In July a chunk of Italy’s largest Alpine glacier detached, killing 11 people.

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