Italy and France hit by severe flooding after heavy rain

A wave of bad weather has ravaged parts of Italy and central France, with storms and heavy rainfall expected batter to Italy's south until Tuesday.

The Italian region of Emilia Romagna has so far been the worst hit - with more than 160 millimetres of rain falling in the city of Bologna.

One person has been killed after a car was swept away in a flood wave in the nearby town of Pianoro, and in Castel Maggiore the army was dispatched to support the Fire Department and Civil Protection in rescuing residents.

More than 300 fire department interventions were carried out in Emilia Romagna, particularly in Bologna where the Ravone, Savena and Zena streams, as well as the Icice river, burst their banks.

Residents were also evacuated in the municipality of Cadelbosco di Sopra after the Crostolo torrent, a tributary of the river Po, overflowed.

On the Italian island of Sicily, emergency services rescued people from roofs of buildings and stranded vehicles, as heavy rain caused flash flooding.

In the province of Agrigento, the swollen Salto river breached its banks in several locations, inundating part of the coastal city of Licata.

In Florence, Tuscany’s river Elsa also burst its banks, and residents have been advised to avoid non-essential travel.

Damaged houses and power outages in France

Meanwhile, in central France severe flooding has caused widespread damage and power outages.

The small village of Limony, in southeastern France, has been particularly affected by massive floods.

Limony en Ardèche lies on the banks of the Rhône and at the foot of vineyards.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated on Friday and French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said that firefighters and other rescuers have been involved in about 2,300 operations.

Now that the rains have stopped, many residents have returned to find their homes destroyed by floodwaters.

French weather agency Meteo France said 685.8 millimetres of rain fell in 48 hours in some areas of Ardeche and Lozere.