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Italian storms wipe out two families in Sicily as death toll rises


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Italian storms wipe out two families in Sicily as death toll rises

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2018-11-04T181909Z_2_LYNXNPEEA30A1_RTROPTP_4_ITALY-WEATHER.JPG

A fireman walks on a mud covered path in the aftermath of a flood in Casteldaccia, near Palermo, Italy, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

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MILAN (Reuters) - Two families were killed in the same house in Sicily when the torrential rains and high winds lashing Italy caused a river to burst its banks, drowning the nine people inside.

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Rushing water filled the villa in Casteldaccia in the province of Palermo in moments, wiping out the families who were spending Saturday night there.

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A father and his daughter escaped harm because they had left the house to do some shopping while a third person climbed a tree to survive.

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The tragedy brings the number of people killed in Sicily this weekend to at least 12 after three other people died in their cars when hit by torrents of water.

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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte spoke of "an immense tragedy" during a visit on Sunday to affected areas in Sicily.

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He said a cabinet meeting would be convened this week to declare a state of emergency and come up with the first package of aid for areas affected.

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Heavy rains and gale-force winds have battered Italy for several days, uprooting millions of trees and cutting off villages and roads.

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Italy's Civil Protection Agency said deaths caused by the wave of bad weather stood at 17, excluding the fatalities in Sicily.

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Some of the worst damage has been recorded in the northern regions of Trentino and Veneto.

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On Saturday the governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said storm damage in the region amounted to at least a billion euros.

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During a visit on Sunday to badly-hit areas in the north, Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said 250 million euros ($285 million) had already been earmarked for relief.

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He said the government would be asking to use special EU funds.

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Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister, said a rough estimate of how much it would cost to safeguard Italy against such events was 40 billion euros.

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(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Catherine Evans and Adrian Croft)

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-- ยฉ Copyright Reuters 2018-11-05

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