Heavy snow blankets north-central Italy

(ANSA) - Rome, February 6 - 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.