Man dead after car swept away (2)

(ANSA) - Palermo, January 23 - A man was found dead on Monday after the car he was travelling in was swept away as a small river burst its banks amid torrential rain at Castronovo di Sicilia, near Palermo, sources said. Three other people who were in the car survived, according to initial reports. The victim has not yet been identified. A number of families at Melito Porto Salvo in Calabria, meanwhile, have been evacuated from their homes due to the violent storms that have hit the southern region, the local civil protection authority said on Monday. The measure was taken after the Tuccio river burst its banks.
    Schools in the Calabrian cities of Reggio, Catanzaro and Crotone and in many towns on the Ionian coast are closed on Monday due to the red alert on the weather situation.