At least seven people have died in the past 24 hours after two extreme weather events split Italy between wildfires in the south and violent storms in the north.
Temperatures in Palermo soared on Monday, breaking the previous record for the city of 44.8C set in 1999. The National Institute for Astrophysics said 47C was recorded at its digital weather station at the top of the medieval Palazzo dei Normanni at 3.42pm.
Fires in Sicily reportedly caused the temporary closure of Palermo airport after temperatures in the city climbed to 47C on Monday. An 88-year-old woman was reported to have died on Tuesday in San Martino delle Scale, a few miles from the Sicilian capital, after disruption caused by the fires prevented emergency services from reaching her in time.
According to reports, the bodies of two people, aged around 75 and 77, were found in a house hit by a wildfire in Cinisi, near the airport In the afternoon. Authorities closed part of the motorway as more than 55 wildfires were reported on the island. Hundreds of firefighters from other regions in Italy were due to arrive to help battle the flames.
“We have never seen anything like it,” a San Martino delle Scale resident was quoted as saying. “We were surrounded by fire. We could not go anywhere. We spent the night in the square. These were terrible moments.”
Other reports show that the storms in Lombardy claimed four lives, including that of a 16-year-old girl who was killed during a camping trip in Cedelogo when a tree fell on her tent. A 58-year-old woman died after being crushed by a tree in Monza and a couple, both aged 19, died after the driver lost control of their car on a slippery road in Varese.
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Near Palermo, more than 120 families had been evacuated from their homes in Mondello, Capo Gallo and Poggio Ridente since Monday, as clouds of smoke and ash advanced towards the city centre, making the air unbreathable, and the sirens of fire engines and ambulances resounded across the city. More than 200 people in Palermo had sought medical attention for smoke inhalation.
In the early hours of the afternoon, the main streets of the Sicilian capital, normally crowded with tourists, were almost deserted. Hundreds of families were forced to flee the Borgo Nuovo district, a few miles from the city centre, because of the fires.
“We have lost everything”, said one resident. ‘‘I had not time to pack. Now I need to find a place to sleep tonight.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
