Death toll from floods in Italy rises to 15
The death toll from the floods in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region recorded a new high.
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A couple walk in a flooded road of Lugo, Italy, Thursday, May 18, 2023. (AP)
Last week's devastating flood's death toll in northern Italy increased to 15, local media reported on Tuesday.
The number increased after a 68-year-old missing person was found in Lugo by gendarmerie forces, among the most flood-hit areas of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, reported by the state-run ANSA news agency.
The Ravenna Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the disaster.
At least 10 million fruit trees were destroyed by the floods in #Italy The aid package has risen from €20 million to €2 billion. You can’t eat digital fiat currency. pic.twitter.com/0s418gjC3F
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) May 23, 2023
The region is still on alert for extreme weather as its population attempts to recover from the worst floods in about a century.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government passed a €2 billion ($2.2 billion) aid package earlier on Tuesday to support businesses and families affected by the deadly floods.
Italy’s Prime Minister left G7 Meeting early because there was a flood in Italy. In India, Manipur is burning but Modi went on a foreign trip to Australia after G7 meeting, though Quad meeting was canceled. pic.twitter.com/gKcwYJ2bVN
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) May 23, 2023
Last week's floods in Emilia-Romagna caused extensive damage to the local economy and infrastructure.
Older and disabled individuals were stranded in their houses as rescuers worked through the night to save people in the worst floods to hit Italy in 100 years.
An estimated 20,000 people have been displaced due to the calamity, which has caused 23 rivers to burst their banks and 280 landslides to envelop 41 cities and towns.
An elderly couple trapped inside their home in Cava, a hamlet in the province of Forl-Cesena, was among the deceased. "We heard their cries for help," a neighbor told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. "We tried to get them out, but it was useless."
Firefighters conducted 2,000 rescue operations around the region and in flood-affected areas of central Marche.
