Rome (BLAZETRENDS) of Emilia Romagna (northeast), while new rains are feared with almost all the rivers on alert.
The discovery of victim number 14, an 84-year-old man who was found dead in the mud in the patio of his house in Faenza, was announced live by the president of the region, Stefano Bonaccini, while speaking on a television program.
Complex rescue operations
Rescue operations are complex due to the numerous breakdowns reported in the electrical and telephone networks, since many people find themselves unable to communicate, in addition to the fact that dozens of regional roads are impassable due to landslides.
Even into the night, flooding continued in some parts of Ravenna, where the City Council ordered the evacuation of houses from some streets where the water was rising dangerously, according to local media.
In several villages there are still houses without electricity and drinking water, while in the Apennines some localities are isolated due to landslides, particularly in the Forlì area.
One-of-a-kind emergency
“It is a unique emergency of its kind, which has not occurred for more than a hundred years,” declared the Prefect of Ravenna, Castrese De Rosa.
Five lifeless bodies were found on Thursday afternoon: the farmer couple Delio and Dorotea Foschini, aged 73 and 71, who died at their home in the province of Ravenna, while the bodies of two men and a 95-year-old woman.
Schools in cities like Bologna and Casalecchio have opened today, although the state of emergency continues throughout the region.
The regional environmental agency of Emilia-Romagna confirmed that the red alert is maintained, although the weather forecasts have improved in recent hours, but it is feared that it will rain again during the weekend when the rivers are still on alert for the floods.
