Record-breaking rain produced floods in a vast swath of Italy’s Tuscany region as Storm Ciarán pushed into the country overnight trapping residents in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars.
After 200 millimeters of rain fell in a three-hour period, at least five people were killed, bringing the storm’s death toll in western Europe to 12 on Friday.
In France, five people were killed by falling trees and some 1.2 million homes lost electricity as the storm lashed the northwest coast on Thursday.
Storm Ciaran battered Western Europe with record winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, causing travel mayhem with closed ports, flight cancellations and rail disruption.
