Record-breaking rains cause widespread flooding in swathes of Tuscany

Firefighters in Italy say they have activated over 400 rescuers in Tuscany and are using helicopters, scuba divers, amphibious vehicles and river search teams to search for the missing and help others trapped in heavy floods. At least three people were killed, and four were missing.

The dead included an 85-year-old man found in the flooded ground floor of his home near Prato, north of Florence, an 84-woman who died while trying to push water out of her home in the same area. The other victim as reported in Livorno. At least three people were missing in Tuscany, and one in mountains of Veneto. Other regions were on high-alert and authorities warned that the storm was heading toward southern Italy.

Record-breaking rain provoked floods in a vast swath of Tuscany as Storm Ciaran pushed into Italy overnight Friday, trapping people in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars. Civil Protection authorities said at 200 millimeters of rain fell in a three-hour period from Livorno on the coast to the inland valley of Mugello, overflowing riverbanks.