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11 Dead in Italy as Storms Batter Europe

by VOA News

   The death toll from flooding and gale-force winds battering Italy rose
   to 11, authorities said Tuesday as storms raged across Europe.

   Roads were reported blocked and thousands were left without power in
   southern and central Europe, where fierce winds and rain felled trees.

   Venice flooded to a level seen few times before in the lagoon city's
   history, with tourists and residents holding bags above their heads as
   water sloshed above their knees.

   Debris from pulverized yachts filled the harbor of Rapallo near Genoa
   after a dam broke under the pressure of flood waters.

   Heavy snow trapped many in their cars and hotels in the mountainous
   intersecting border regions of Italy, Switzerland, and France.