Extreme weather keeps much of Italy on state of alert

(ANSA) - Rome, November 18 - Bad weather continued to ship Italy from north to south on Monday.
    A train derailed for bad weather in northern Italy on Monday.
    The train derailed because of a landslide in the Val Pusteria.
    The incident happened near Rio Pusteria, sources said.
    The train had left Fortezza and was heading for Brunico.
    No injuries were reported.
    After the landslide the state highway was closed too and the valley isolated.
    The rest of Italy continued to be affected by bad weather too.
    In Tuscany on Monday many people evacuated because of swollen river waters returned to their homes.
    There was further heavy rain in many parts of central and southern Italy.
    In Rome, where a person was hurt when a tree crashed onto his car on Sunday, there were fresh downpours.
    The southern Italian city of Matera in Basilicata on Monday asked for a state of emergency to be declared after huge damage from bad weather.
    According to an initial estimate, the council said some eight million euros in damage had been caused by heavy rains and storms.
    2019 European Culture Capital Matera was badly hit by flooding this past week.
    A popular waterfall on the south Tuscan coast has been close due to huge damage from bad weather in the area, the local mayor said Monday.
    "There has sadly been huge damage in the area of the Molino Falls, also known as the cascatelle of Gorello at Saturnia," said Mirco Morini, mayor of Manciano near Grosseto.
    "The falls have been temporarily closed for safety reasons," he said. He added: "above and below the falls the Stellata River has changed its course with force and for that reason it will need a restyling".
    A tornado destroyed 1,000 pines in a nature reserve near Orbetello in southern Tuscany on Monday.
    The tornado "hit some eight hectares of pine wood" in the Duna Feniglia reserve, forest rangers said.
    "According to an initial estimate some 1,000 trees were uprooted and destroyed".