Italy Declares State of Emergency in Sardinia after Cyclone Strikes Island
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Italian authorities declared a state of emergency in Sardinia on Tuesday, a day after a cyclone struck the Mediterranean island, killing at least 16 people and leaving hundreds homeless.
Overnight, Cyclone Cleopatra dropped 450 millimeters of rain in an hour and a half, causing rivers to burst their banks and flooding homes across the island.
Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, who called a meeting of his Cabinet to discuss the crisis, described the disaster as a “national tragedy.”
The declaration of a state of emergency allows extra resources to be freed up more quickly to reach devastated areas, Reuters reported.
