Storms and floods in Sicily kill at least 12 people, with two still missing
- Nine people who were staying in the same villa for a long weekend were killed
- Reports claimed a one-year-old, a three-year-old and a teenager were among the other flood victims
Storm-related floods killed at least 12 people in Sicily, Italian authorities said Sunday, including nine members of two families who were spending a long weekend together when water and mud from a swollen river overran their rented villa.
After surveying the stricken Mediterranean island by helicopter, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte identified two more of the victims as a German couple whose car was swept away by floodwaters near Agrigento, a tourist town known for its ancient Greek temples.
Italian news reports said a one-year-old, a three-year-old and a teenager were among the flood victims from the family get-together in Casteldaccia. A survivor, Giuseppe Giordano, lost his wife, two of his children, his parents and a brother, Italian news agency ANSA said.
State broadcaster RaiNews24 said Giordano was stepping outside on Saturday night when the torrent rushed in and described him as the sole person to made it out alive.
When he opened the door, “there was a river of water, I was knocked down and grabbed hold of a tree,” Giordano told reporters between sobs. “I was yelling, ‘Help, help’.”