A 64-year-old man and his 33-year-old son had set out in a car to assist those affected in the city of Vicenza when they themselves were swept away by the water masses. The bridge they were driving on collapsed into a kind of sinkhole and the men disappeared. Both were found dead in a search operation.
It's an unimaginable tragedy, when the earth collapses under the feet of these two people who were going to lend a hand, says Veneto region's governor Luca Zaia according to Corriere della Sera.
Zaia's regional government has issued a state of emergency in the northeastern region due to the bad weather.
Snowed in in the mountains
In the region of Piedmont, in the northwest, a 92-year-old man was found dead in his flooded home.
Ski resorts, roads, and train traffic have been closed in the Alps. Widespread power outages are reported from areas in France, Italy, and Switzerland. In the ski resort of Val Thorens in the French Alps, a woman suffered a heart attack after being buried by an avalanche. In other alpine areas, residents have been advised to stay at home due to snow chaos.
All cars have been covered up to the roofs, says Mathis, who works at a hotel in the ski resort of Tignes, to AFP.
It feels unsettling just to go out.
High risk of avalanches
It's not uncommon with snow in April in the Alps, but the amount that has fallen in just a few hours was unusually large and has surprised both authorities and residents.
When it snows this much in a short time, it takes two to three days for the snow to settle properly. Until then, the risk of avalanches is high, says Stefan Mårtensson at the Environmental Protection Agency's avalanche forecasting service.
