At least nine people have been killed in floods on the island of Sicily after storms battered Italy.

The victims are reported to be members of two families staying in a house which was flooded when a river bank burst near Palermo.

Children aged 1, 3 and 15 were among those who died. </s> Ten people, including a family of nine, have died in floods around Palermo on the southern Italian island of Sicily, rescue services said on Sunday as fierce storms continue to exact a deadly toll.

They said the bodies of the family, including children aged 1, 3 and 15, were found in their house in Casteldaccia next to a small river which had burst its banks.

Three other members of the same family were able to escape, according to the Agi news agency.

Separately, a man was found dead in his car while two other people are missing.

Earlier this week in Sicily, floods closed many roads and mayors ordered schools, public parks and underpasses shut.

Italy, especially in the north and around Venice, has been hit by a series of strong storms which have claimed at least 20 lives and caused massive damage and disruption.

Trees covering the mountains in the Dolomites range were reduced to matchsticks, flattened by winds that tore through the Veneto region on Thursday.

"It's like after an earthquake," Veneto governor Luca Zaia said. "Thousands of hectares of forest were razed to the ground, as if by a giant electric saw."

Italy's civil protection agency described the weather lashing the country this week as "one of the most complex meteorological situations of the past 50 to 60 years".



KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter. </s> Nine people have died after a rain-swollen river flooded a home in the countryside near Palermo, Sicily, Italian state radio said.

Nine people have died after a rain-swollen river flooded a home in the countryside near Palermo, Sicily, Italian state radio said.

Heavy rains have lashed Sicily, a southern Italian island, several days after storms ravaged much of northern Italy.

State radio said one person survived the flood late on Saturday night by clinging to a tree. Reports added that the victims were from two families who were spending the weekend together.

The Italian news agency Ansa said two people were missing on Sunday in other incidents near Sicily after floodwaters swept away their cars, including that of a doctor heading to a Corleone hospital.

Italy’s earlier storms in the north killed at least 15 people, flattened or uprooted millions of trees near Alpine valleys and left several villages without electricity or road access for days. </s> Torrential rain in Italy has triggered flooding that killed at least five people in the Tuscan port town of Livorno.

Italian state television said four of the victims were family members whose bodies were found in their flooded basement on Sunday.

Some Italian media reports put the death toll at six.

Mayor Filippo Nogarin said he could not confirm the number, but added that casualties could increase because several people were missing. </s> ROME — Italian state radio says a rain-swollen river in the countryside near Palermo, Sicily, has flooded a home, killing nine people.

Heavy rains lashed Sicily, a southern Italian island, on Saturday, several days after storms ravaged much of northern Italy. State radio said one person survived the flood late Saturday night by clinging to a tree, and that the victims were from two families spending the weekend together.

The Italian news agency ANSA said two people were missing Sunday in other incidents near Sicily after floodwaters swept away their cars, including that of a doctor heading to a Corleone hospital.

Italy's earlier storms in the north killed at least 15 people, flattened or uprooted millions of trees near Alpine valleys and left several villages without electricity or road access for days. </s> ROME (AFP) - Ten people, including a family of nine, have died in floods around Palermo, on the southern Italian island of Sicily, rescue services said on Sunday (Nov 4).

They said the bodies of the family, including children aged one, three and 15, were found in their house in Casteldaccia next to a small river which had burst its banks.

A man was found separately in his car, while two other people are missing, they said, as Italy grapples with fierce storms which have already claimed at least 20 lives this week.
Three people are killed and many others are injured after heavy floods strike the Italian region of Calabria. A bridge collapses and landslides also occur.