Catania and the surrounding areas are experiencing scenes recently seen in Valencia, with cars dragged by the fury of the water and ending up in the sea, motorists on the road trapped in their cars and saved by the firefighters.
Houses have been flooded and people have been rescued by civil department officials, Italian media report.
The heavy rainfall led to hundreds of interventions by the firefighters of the Catania provincial command.
The firefighters intervened with an amphibious vehicle in Altarello, a hamlet of Riposto, where a river overflowed and invaded the ground floor of a house: there were four people inside, two of whom were disabled.
Since 8am on Wednesday, there have been 64 interventions due to bad weather by the firefighters of the Catania command throughout the province. Thirteen interventions concerned the rescue of people, damage, assistance services, static instability and recovery of cars and vehicles.
Firefighters also intervened on the A18 motorway between Fiumefreddo di Sicilia and Giarre to provide assistance to stranded motorists. The territories mainly affected are the municipalities of Giarre, Acireale, Linguaglossa. Firefighters personnel have been recalled to extraordinary duty to ensure support and assistance. In Acireale the firefighters intervened due to the collapse of a perimeter wall.
No injuries or deaths have been reported.
More than 200 people died in the Valencia flooding, which was caused by torrential rain hitting the Spanish city and neighbouring provinces in October. Eighty people are still missing.
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