Flash flood sweeps away baby, grandmother in Italy

Rome, Sep 25 (IANS) Emergency search operations for a five-month-old boy and his grandmother were ongoing after they were swept off the roof of a vacation home during a flash flood near the coastal Tuscan city of Pisa.

The floods began on Monday when the Sferza stream swelled and broke its banks after days of severe thunderstorms. Both victims are German nationals on vacation in Italy, Xinhua news agency reported.

The boy's parents and grandfather were rescued from the roof of the Tuscan rental home when the incident occurred on Tuesday. Search efforts, aided by drones, helicopters, divers, and rescue dogs, utilised brief breaks in the weather.

Much of Italy has been battered by Storm Boris since Thursday last week, which prompted regional states of emergency in Tuscany, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna on Tuesday.

Thousands have been evacuated, and weather alerts remain in place across six of the country's 21 regions.

According to the meteorological monitoring site Il Meteo, the severe weather is expected to ease by the weekend.

--IANS

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