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MILAN – Nine members of two families were killed in Sicily when the torrential rains and high winds that have been lashing out.
In just moments, rushing water filled the villa where the families were staying, drowning those inside.
A father and his daughter escaped harm because they had left the house to do some shopping. A third person climbed a tree to survive.
The deaths at the villa, in Casteldaccia in Palermo Province, brought back to Sicily this weekend to 12. Three other people died in their cars hit by torrents of water.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy spoke of "an immense tragedy" during a visit on Sunday to affected areas in Sicily. He said that the meeting would be convened this week to declare a state of emergency and to be affected by it.
Heavy rains and gale-force winds have battered Italy for several days, uprooting millions of trees and cutting off villages and roads. Italy's Civil Protection Agency said it was caused by the wave of bad weather at 17, excluding the fatalities in Sicily.
Some of the worst damage has been recorded in the northern regions of Trentino and Veneto. On Saturday the governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said the cost of the damage in the region amounted to at least one billion euros, or $ 1.14 trillion.
Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini said $ 285 million had been earmarked for relief. Mr. Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister, said it would cost about $ 40 billion, or about $ 45.5 billion, to be able to meet the needs of the future.
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