The worst situation is in Piamonte and Lombardia. Credit: Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco
In Frassineto Po, in the province of Casale, more than 90 horses – and a few mules – got stuck on a tiny island overnight. Rising waters from the Po and Sesia rivers surrounded them.
A heavy rain alert had already been issued. But the animals weren’t moved to safety.
The horses roam free most of the time. They’re used to grazing in the open fields. But as the rivers swelled, they tried to reach higher ground. They headed for a shallow area… and got bogged down in the mud.
The rescue was tough. Firefighters from Alessandria stepped in, backed by a helicopter from Turin and reinforcements from Pisa. Civil protection volunteers helped too.
Each animal had to be taken out one by one. It was slow, delicate work – but absolutely urgent.
Seven hundred firefighters are currently working in Piedmont to deal with the damage caused by the heavy rainfall that has been affecting the region since the night of 16 April. More than 1,000 interventions have been carried out, many of them in the provinces of Turin, Biella, Vercelli, and Verbania.
The situation is now improving, although rescue operations continued into the night to bring to safety those trapped in their flooded homes. Teams are still working on drainage, the removal of fallen or unsafe trees, and the protection of areas affected by landslides.
Torrential rain, storms, and high winds have put northern Italy on weather alert. Piedmont has been hit especially hard. Rivers have burst their banks, landslides have struck, and firefighters have been deployed across the region, according to local media.
Train services in the north were disrupted or cancelled altogether. The international rail line and motorway linking France and Italy through the Fréjus tunnel – a major Alpine route – were shut down. The high-speed train between Milan and Paris was also brought to a halt.
In the mountain village of Macugnaga, a landslide cut off access completely. In nearby Vogogna, rising river levels prompted warnings. Locals were told to move to upper floors as a safety measure.
The Po – Italy’s longest river, running through Turin – has also risen significantly. It’s expected to swell even more as tributaries feed into it. Three bridges in the city have been closed as a precaution.
Landslides and overflowing rivers have also forced the closure of several provincial roads.
