At least eight dead after ‘water bomb’ flash floods compared to ‘earthquake’ hit Italy | World news

At least eight people have died after devastating flash floods matched by an earthquake swept through villages in central Italy on Thursday evening.

Three people are missing after floods saw 40cm of rain dumped in the Marche region.

Local authorities said they were unprepared for the sudden “water bomb” dropped within just two to three hours, which saw cars washed away.

The water has flooded the streets of several towns in the region’s capital, Ancona, on the Adriatic coast and Pesaro-Urbino provinces.

Rescue workers were pictured using dinghies to bring people to safety, while others tried to clear debris.

The mayor of the town of Serra Sant’Abbondio, Ludovico Caverni, said the downpour was “like an earthquake”, RAI state radio reported.

The head of civil protection in Marche’s regional government, Stefano Aguzzi, said the rain was far heavier than expected.

“We got a normal alert for rain, but nobody expected anything like this,” he told reporters.

The head of the National Civil Protection Agency, Fabrizio Curcio, is traveling to Ancona to assess the damage.

Italian police said some villages have been isolated and many roads closed as a result of the extreme weather, which left a trail of destruction.

Meanwhile, political party bosses campaigning for Italy’s September 25 general election also expressed their solidarity with the rescue efforts.

Center-left Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta said it would suspend campaigning in the Marche as a “sign of mourning” and to enable local activists to help flood-hit communities.

Sir. Letta tweeted on Thursday morning: “Stunned and speechless by the tragedy that befell Marche.

“Thinking (of) and crying for the victims.”

He expressed his hope that rescue workers would be “successful in their relentless work”.