A violent storm in the night
between Thursday and Friday hit eastern Sicily, flooding the
area around Siracusa, close to Catania.
The areas most affected by the floods were Francoforte,
Lentini and Sigonella.
A number of residents, particularly in the countryside, were
forced to climb on top of their roofs to seek shelter and were
rescued by firefighters and Navy helicopters.
One of three occupants of a car that crashed die to the storm
said: "the water came suddenly, we crashed into the guardrail
and we were afraid we would die, I got out through the window
and then the Carabinieri came to rescue us".
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