Premier Giorgia Meloni said Saturday
that she was returning early from the the G7 summit in
Hiroshima, Japan, to deal with the flood emergency in Emilia
Romagna.
"I can no longer stay away from Italy at such a complex time,"
Meloni told a news conference.
"I need to be there in person to work and give the necessary
answers...:
"My conscience requires me to go back".
Meloni is expected to be in Emilia-Romagna on Sunday afternoon
to visit to the areas hit by this week's deadly floods, sources
said.
She will leave Japan Saturday night to land in Italy on Sunday,
the sources said.
"Clearly we will have to allocate funds for the emergency, those
for (post-emergency) reconstruction we have to wait until we
understand more by talking to the people," she said.
"We will find the funds.
"There has been great willingness to help, going from (US
President Joe) Biden to the EU.
"This is not thanks to me but thanks to the role Italy plays".
Emilia-Romagna was on red alert on Saturday and will remain so
Sunday with rain retuning to the northeastern region after the
extreme weather that claimed 14 lives.
Vast areas are still under water and landslides are a massive
problem, especially in areas in the Apennines.
The number of people who have been evacuated from their homes
because of the deadly floods in Emilia-Romagna has risen to more
than 36,600, the regional government said on Saturday. Most of
them, 27,775, had to leave their homes in the Ravenna area.
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