Heavy snowfall forced road
closures, briefly shut down Bologna's airport, shuttered
schools, and led to at least three weather-related deaths as
much of Italy shivered Friday under winter conditions stretching
down the peninsula.
Transport Minister Maurizio Lupi summoned motorway manager
Autostrade per L'Italia to explain on Friday why so many
stretches of the country's motorways were closed after heavy
snowfalls in recent days.
One day earlier, Autostrade per l'Italia said it had
deployed over 700 vehicles and 2,000 staff to clear heavy snow
and ice off 700 km of its network.
The situation was most critical on the heavily trafficked
A1 highway between Naples and Milan, with more than 40 cm of
snowfall between Pian del Voglio and the Citerna pass in the
mountainous Apennine area.
Meanwhile, three people, all said to be elderly, were
reported dead Friday after suffering heart attacks while
shoveling snow in the area around Brescia in Lombardy at the
foot of the Alps.
Emergency-line operators said that another five people
collapsed while shoveling snow in the north-central area.
Schools were closed Friday morning in Tuscany's province of
Florence, while snows whitened the historic cities of Volterra
and Arezzo.
Further east, drifting and blowing snow in Emilia Romagna
snarled traffic and forced the closure Friday morning of
Bologna's airport.
Across Reggio Emilia province, rescue workers were called
out more than 100 times to rescue motorists and deal with downed
trees.
Throughout central and northern Italy, rail lines were
blocked, causing delays of up to an hour while road traffic was
slowed to a crawl around the business capital of Milan, a
transportation hub.
High-speed trains were forced to travel at reduced speeds,
causing serious delays along the system.
Highways stretching through the Veneto were also facing
delays as heavy snowfall halted traffic and further to the
northeast, the infamous Bora winds gusted to speeds of 149
kilometers per hour near Trieste.
Trees were brought down by the winter winds and although
little rain or snow was reported, cold temperatures led to ice
patches forming streets and sidewalks.
Along the Adriatic coast, storm surges led to flooding in
rivers leading inland, and rescue crews were called out to help
stranded motorists.
Firefighters using amphibious vehicles rescued residents of
Lido di Savio on the coast near Ravenna, trapped by flooding.
Further down the coast, rain and rough seas caused the
collapse of a sea wall near Ancona, flooding a Fincantieri ship
production yard. About 100 workers were forced to evacuate.
Residents in Senigallia in the Marche region along the
Adriatic coast braced for flooding amid high winds and rising
tides.
Schools were closed Friday and civil authorities advised
residents of the flood-prone region to move to the highest
levels of their homes and park their cars on the highest
possible points.
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