Authorities: Floods caused by storms kill at least 12 people in Sicily

(ROME) – Italian authorities said Sunday at least 12 people were affected by the storms, including nine members of two families who spent a long weekend together when the water and mud An inflated river has invaded their rented villa.

After examining by helicopter the Mediterranean island affected by a disaster, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte identified two other victims, a German couple whose car was washed away by the flooded waters near Agrigento. , a tourist town renowned for its ancient Greek temples.

According to Italian reports, a one-year-old child, a 3-year-old child and a teenager were among the flood victims during the family rally in Casteldaccia. A survivor, Giuseppe Giordano, lost his wife, two of his children, his father and his brother, announced the Italian news agency ANSA.

According to the public television channel RaiNews24, Giordano appeared Saturday night when the torrent rushed to join him. the only person to come out alive.

When he opened the door, "there was a river of water, I was knocked over and grabbed a tree," Giordano told reporters between two sobs. "I was screaming:" Help, help. "

"My son Federico tried to save his little sister, but both died," Giordano said, claiming that his son had called "I'm taking care of" the girl's rescue.

Then "I saw the windows tarnishing, the light going out, a layer of mud was moving on the ground," Giordano said. He then stated that he had been swept away by the force of the water.

The two families met in the villa during the long weekend in Italy, centered on the national holiday of November 1st.

Although the Italian press originally described it to the owner of the house, Giordano announced that he was renting the villa.

The mayor of Casteldaccia, Giovanni Di Giacinto, told Sky TG24 that the floodwaters were 2 meters high inside the house.

The rescuers recovered the bodies of the house. A Sicilian prosecutor opened an investigation to determine whether negligence, such as a possible inadequate drainage of the river, had played a role in the deaths or if the house had been built illegally near the river.

This could be the case. Pino Virga, mayor of the nearby town of Altavilla Milicia, told SkyTG24 TV that other local authorities had informed her that the house was going to be demolished because she was too close from the river.

In addition, Di Giacinto told reporters that the owner had blocked the building. demolition by challenging it in a local court.

A retirement home located at the top of the road has suffered no damage, reports ANSA.

A few days ago, other storms had shaken much of northern Italy, killing at least 15 people and uprooting millions of people. trees near alpine valleys and leaving several Italian villages without electricity or road access for days.

Tale said that a special cabinet meeting could be held in the coming days to deliberate on helping storm-ravaged communities and approve a billion euros ($ 1.15 billion) to ensure the safety of hydrogeological conditions in Italy, including proper cleaning of riverbeds.

The other known victim in Sicily is a man whose body was also found on a guardrail. A road in the Palermo region after the waters swept his car, reported Italian news.

On the other side of the island, in the town of Cammarata, near Agrigento, the fire department announced that its divers had been working to recover the bodies of the couple whose car had been seized. in the waters of the Saraceno River

Also in the province of Agrigento, firefighters saved 14 people from a hotel in the city of Montevago, threatened by the waters of the Belice River.

Elsewhere in Sicily, at least two other people were missing on Sunday after the waters carried away their cars, including a doctor going to the hospital in Corleone town.

In Casteldaccia, Maria Concetta Alfano announced that she, her husband and their disabled adult daughter had fled after barking dogs. have drawn their attention to the rising waters in the Milicia River. According to ANSA, the husband, Andrea Cardenale, is said to have gone by car because "the water was up to the hood of the car".

Contact TIME writers to learn more about this story at [email protected].