MILAN, Sept 16 — Heavy rains and floods hit the central Italian region of Marche from the late hours of yesterday, killing at least seven people, while three others were still missing, Italian media reported today.

Local authorities said they did not expect such a sudden “water bomb”, as around 400 millimetres of rain fell within two to three hours, inundating the streets of several towns in the Ancona and Pesaro-Urbino provinces.

Footage released by fire brigades showed operators navigating the streets of seaside town Senigallia on rafters to rescue people and evacuate them, while others attempted to clear an underpass of debris.

Rescue services were still searching for survivors, authorities were quoted as saying.

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Meanwhile, the leader of Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party (PD) wrote on Twitter that it would stop its campaign in the region ahead of the September 25 national election. — Reuters

Rescue workers rescue people on a dinghy boat on a flooded street after heavy rains hit the east coast of Marche region in Senigallia, Italy, September 16, 2022. — Vigili del Fuoco handout pic via Reuters
Rescue workers rescue people on a dinghy boat on a flooded street after heavy rains hit the east coast of Marche region in Senigallia, Italy, September 16, 2022. — Vigili del Fuoco handout pic via Reuters