The death toll from fierce storms battering Italy has risen to nine after wild winter weather swept parts of Europe.
Roads were blocked and thousands of people were left without power in southern and central Europe, as rains and violent winds sparked flooding and tore trees from their roots.
Thick snow has also cloaked French and Italian mountain regions, trapping scores of drivers in their cars and tourists in hotels.
In Italy, where ferocious storms drove high winds reaching up to 110mph (180km/h) in some areas, civil protection authorities announced a further four deaths, after confirming five people perished on Monday.
A woman died when her home was engulfed by a mudslide in the northern region of Trentino, a man was killed in the north-eastern region of Veneto by a falling tree and a firefighter died during relief operations in South Tyrol.
A man was killed while kitesurfing on Monday near the town of Cattolica on the Adriatic coast, with the local press saying strong winds had blown him into rocks.
Venice was inundated by near-record flooding and rain-soaked tourists were barred from St Mark’s Square on Monday as local authorities said the high water peaked at 156cm. The waters have only topped 150cm five times before in recorded history.
Italian media also reported that about 170 people – tourists and hotel staff – were stranded by heavy snowfall at the Stelvio pass on the Swiss border.
In France, more than 1,000 drivers were trapped in their cars for the night in the mountains of the Massif Central region as the roads were engulfed in snowstorms. Another 400 had to spend the night in train carriages at the main station in the eastern city of Lyon after heavy snow blocked the tracks.
About 195,000 homes were without power across mainland France – mostly in the east and centre. Another 21,000 homes were also cut off on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which was placed on red alert Monday for powerful winds, shutting its airports and ports.
Croatia’s Adriatic coast has also been battered by gale-force winds and heavy rains that have flooded streets, cut off power and ensnared road and maritime traffic.
Storms have also swept into Switzerland, buffeting the Ticino region near the Italian border overnight, according to the public broadcaster RTS.
Roads were blocked by fallen trees and flooding, while strong winds ripped roof sections off buildings, including in Giubiasco where police said part of a building’s roof had smashed into a moving train and a house, without causing injury.
In southern Austria, authorities have deployed hundreds of mobile anti-flooding dams as rivers burst their banks, while in the city of Salzburg a roof section from the medieval ramparts flew off in high winds.
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