Torrential rains in northern Italy flood Milan and leave a man missing

ROME — A wave of violent rainstorms battered northern Italy on Thursday, flooding the financial hub of Milan and raising fears for the life of a man who was swept away on a tractor in the Piedmont region.

Footage by state TV RAI showed the wheel of the vehicle still visible inside the Orco creek, near Turin, where the tractor overturned in muddy water. Local rescuers said they were searching for the missing 58-year-old man.

Another river overflowed in Piedmont's Val di Susa, collapsing two bridges, blocking a provincial road and isolating about 50 people in two villages.

Two other northern regions, Lombardy and Veneto, were hit by widespread flooding, which caused damage and disruption in the city of Milan, where the Seveso and Lambro rivers overflowed.

Firefighters in Milan said they responded to dozens of calls to rescue people stuck in their cars in flooded underpasses and to drain basements filled with water.

Some subway services had to be suspended due to the flooding. For the first time since it was founded in 1976, Milan’s Radio Popolare station went off the air because its broadcast center was inundated with water.

Scientists warn that the climate crisis is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, downbursts and flooding, in Europe and around the globe. They say storms are becoming heavier because warm air can hold more moisture.

Southern Italy recently has been suffering a severe drought, causing massive problems for local agriculture and tourism, especially in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.