At least three people killed by flooding in Sardinia

At least three people killed by flooding in Sardinia

Still image taken from video shows flash flooding next to buildings in the town of Bitti, Italy November 28, 2020. Local Team/Reuters TV via REUTERS

MILAN (Reuters) - At least three people have been killed by flooding after heavy rain swept over the east side of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, Italian authorities and local media said on Saturday.

In Bitti, a town in the province of Nuoro, streets were turned into rivers of mud which covered cars and flooded cellars, video footage showed.

"The situation in Bitti has been particularly dramatic," regional environment councillor Gianni Lampis told reporters. "We have been informed by the mayor that two people have died and some are still missing," Lampis added.

A 55-year-old farmer was killed by a landslide and a 90-year-old man died at home, according to Italian news agency ANSA, while emergency services are still searching for the body a woman in her nineties.

Lampis said a red weather alert had been issued with heavy rains expected to hit the whole of the island on Sunday.

(Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by Christina Fincher)