Three people are missing after floods dumped 40cm of rain in the Marche region. Local authorities said they were unprepared for the sudden “water bomb” to fall within just two to three hours, which saw cars swept away. Water has submerged the streets of several cities in the region’s capital, Ancona, on the Adriatic coast and in the provinces of Pesaro-Urbino. Rescue workers were pictured using boats to bring people to safety as others tried to clear the debris. Image: Up to 40cm of rain fell in just two to three hours in the central Marche region Image: Elderly people evacuated after heavy rain on the east coast of Marche, Italy Image: Partially submerged cars on a flooded road in the Marche region The mayor of the town of Serra Sant’Abbondio, Ludovico Caverni, said the rainfall was “like an earthquake”, state radio RAI reported. The Marche regional government’s head of civil protection, Stefano Aguzzi, said the rain was much heavier than forecast. “We were given a normal rain warning, but nobody expected anything like this,” he told reporters. The head of the national civil protection service, Fabrizio Curcio, is traveling to Ancona to assess the damage. Image: Aerial images reveal the devastation unleashed in the Marche region Image: People working to clear the debris and mud left behind by the deadly floods that hit Cantiano in the Marche Italian police said some villages have been isolated and many roads closed as a result of the extreme weather, which has left a trail of destruction. Meanwhile, the leaders of political parties campaigning for Italy’s September 25 general election also expressed their solidarity with the rescue efforts. Center-left Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta said he would suspend Marche’s campaign as a “mark of mourning” and allow local activists to help flood-hit communities. Mr Letta tweeted on Thursday morning: “Shocked and speechless at the tragedy that befell Marche. “I think (about) and cry for the victims.” He expressed his hope that the rescuers will be “successful in their relentless task”.
