Tuscany, Italy storm and floods ravage central Italy leaving six dead

 Large areas of Tuscany have been hit by flooding, leaving six people dead and several others missing, after heavy winds and rain buffeted central Italy.

Cars were swept away as the River Bisenzio flooded and people climbed on roofs to escape the deluge.

Hospitals were flooded, people in cars were trapped in underpasses and the west coast was lashed by high waves.

The extreme conditions are directly linked to Storm Ciarán which has caused more than 13 deaths in Western Europe.

Winds of 207km/h (129 mph) were recorded earlier on the north-west coast of France, as the storm also lashed southern England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal.

Power lines went down and transport was severely disrupted. A five-year-old child was one of two people killed in Belgium by falling trees. Residents had to be evacuated from their homes on the Channel Island of Jersey.

🚨 The Bisenzio river has overflowed in Campi in Tuscany. Really serious situation unfolding in #Italy....#StormCiaran #Ciaran pic.twitter.com/6pPDrikZYy

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) November 2, 2023

A cold front of severe weather reached Tuscany on Thursday night, as winds reached 140km/h.

Regional governor Eugenio Giani described the heavy rain as "unprecedented in the past 100 years and, after a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas of Tuscany.