ANSA News

Bridge collapses as more extreme weather batters Italy

A bridge over the River Taro near Parma partially collapsed on Monday as Italy was hit by the latest in a series of waves of extreme weather.

Part of the structure in the town of Terenzo caved in as the river swelled due to the torrential rain that is hitting many parts of northern and central Italy, along with strong winds and hail in some areas.

Several areas in Liguria have been hit by flooding.

The authorities have put Emilia Romagna, which Parma belongs to, on red alert on Monday due to the extreme weather, while Tuscany, Veneto, Liguria, Lombardy and Friuli Venezia Giulia are one notch down on orange alert, and Piedmont, Umbria and Trentino Alto Adige are yellow.

Schools were closed on Monday as a precautionary measure in Livorno and many towns in the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara.

Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, drought, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and more intense.