A wave of blustery and wintry weather
swept Italy Monday and a fireman was electrocuted
near Sassari in Sardinia after trying to fix a cable cut in two
by icy blasts.
The dead man was named as Tonello Scanu, 54, from Ossi,a fire
coordinator and deputy team chief.
President Sergio Mattarella was among those who sent their
condolences to Scanu's family.
A 76-year-old rough sleeper died in a Milan hospital after being
found in cardiac arrest in a snowdrift on the western outskirts
of the Lombard capital.
A woman was hurt by a lamppost blown down by gales in Milan, and
in Rome a man was taken to hospital after being hit by a
wind-felled tree.
Also in Rome, a driver was slightly hurt after a tree fell on
his passing car.
Ice, frost, strong winds, rainstorms and snow storms have caused
disruption in several regions.
Milan, Turin and Genoa woke up under a thick snowfall.
Traffic was disrupted on motorways between Liguria and Piedmont.
There was a risk of avalanches in Val d'Aosta and of coastal sea
surges in Sardinia.
An orange weather alert was issued in Emilia Romagna and Puglia;
and a yellow one in Abruzzo, Friuli,Lazio, Liguria, Marche,
Molise, Tuscany and Umbria.
Ferry services to the islands of Elba and Capraia were
interrupted.
The men's SuperG at Bormio was put off for a day due to snow and
fog that made the fearsome Stelvio piste unmanageable. The
much-awaited men's downhill race scheduled for Tuesday has also
been pushed back by 24 hours to Wednesday. The relentless heavy
snow falling in the Italian Alps Monday is expected to give way
Tuesday to light snowfall.
In Venice, the MOSE flood barriers were raised and kept the
lagoon city dry despite a high acqua alta.
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