Venice under water as flood defences fail
- Famous sites like St Mark’s Square submerged, with damage totalling up to US$606 million feared
- Risk of landslides and avalanches remains high across Italy after recent heavy rains and snowfall
Floodwaters struck the Italian city of Venice on Tuesday, submerging some of its most famous sites, as its flood defences failed to engage and storms continued to lash large parts of the country.
The city was bracing for a high water level of 145cm (4.8 feet), Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on Twitter. St Mark's Square was under water already.
He noted that the city's flood defence system, MOSE, was not operational. The system only had its first run earlier this year, when it protected the city from flooding in October.
It was not clear why MOSE wasn't operating on Tuesday. The mayor had only just praised it on Sunday for its effectiveness amid the heavy rains. He also noted that it had held back two tides since Sunday.
The feared high water level for the city meant that Venice was facing an alarm level of red. Weather forecasts predict water levels could hit 135cm on both Thursday and Friday.