Grand Prix in Italy called off amid deadly flooding

This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been called off amid deadly flooding in the northeast of Italy.

It comes after Italy’s transport minister called for this Sunday’s race at Imola to be postponed to allow focus on rescue efforts in the region.

Officials say at least five people have died and as many as 5,000 people have been evacuated after rivers swollen by days of flooding burst their banks, flooding nearby towns and cities.

An F1 statement read: “The Formula 1 community wants to send its thoughts to the people and communities affected by the recent events in the Emilia-Romagna region.

“We also want to pay tribute to the work of the emergency services who are doing everything they can to help those in need.

“Following discussions between Formula 1, the President of the FIA, the competent authorities including the relevant ministers, the President of the Automobile Club of Italy, the President of Emilia-Romagna Region, the Mayor of the City and the promoter the decision has been taken not to proceed with the Grand Prix weekend in Imola.

“The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities in the region.

“It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.”

Meanwhile, officials in Venice have activated a mobile sea barrier in the lagoon, in a bid to spare the city, a popular tourist destination, from a rare May high-tide flooding.

It is the first time the barrier system, known by its acronym MOSES, has been lifted in May.

With rescue operations and evacuations in full swing – and with warnings of the potential of more bad weather on the way – Italy’s deputy minister has called for this weekend’s race to be postponed.

Matteo Salvini said it was “imperative to concentrate all efforts on coping with the emergency”, including avoiding a traffic overload in the area.

Italian F1 team, Scuderia Ferrari, commented on the flooding.

The team, based in Modena, a city which has also been hit by the flooding, wrote in a Tweet: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the people of Emilia-Romagna and Marche as they deal with the destruction caused by the heavy rain and flooding currently affecting the area.”

The AlphaTauri team, which is based in nearby Faenza and is the closest team to the circuit, issued an appeal for donations to help local people Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, our town of Faenza has once again experienced significant rainfall and subsequent flooding,” the team said on Twitter.

It is the second race on the 2023 F1 calendar to be called off, after the Chinese Grand Prix, which was due to take place in April but was cancelled amid concerns about the country’s continued Covid restrictions.

Cesena, in the heart of the Emilia-Romagna region, has been one of the worst-hit areas, with pictures showing homes flooded along the banks of the River Savio.

One elderly man living in the countryside outside the city died after his home was flooded, according to local radio reports.

Cesena’s mayor Enzo Lattuca also warned of further flooding with forecasters suggesting the country’s spell of bad weather could last “until the end of May”.

“The situation could again become critical. We cannot in any way lower our guard,” he said.

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In one rescue in the city, neighbours swam across the fast-moving waters of a flooded street to take a young girl from her mother’s arms.

One rescuer held the child above the floodwaters until she could be passed into the arms of other rescuers. Other residents helped the mother to safety.

Mayor Lattuca urged caution from residents. He told state television: “Use prudence, don’t be curious, so disaster doesn’t turn into tragedy.”

In the Pesaro-Urbino region, firefighters rescued a family with a four-month-old baby and a disabled man from flooding, while authorities in Ravenna, a popular tourist town, urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.

Firefighters in Rimini, a city and province on the Adriatic coast, carried out 40 rescues, while in the nearby beach town of Riccione, residents took to the streets in rubber dinghies.

In the city of Modena, authorities closed local bridges to traffic on Tuesday evening as a precaution against rising river levels.

Italy’s civil protection minister Nello Musumeci said as many as 5,000 people had been evacuated as a result of the floods.

Floods, landslides and evacuations were also reported in Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia.

Northeast Italy has suffered a shortfall of rain in recent weeks. However, meteorologists have warned of several days of heavy rain still to come.

Weather experts say the rain is due to the disappearance of a weather system known as an anticyclone – a large wind system that rotates anticlockwise around a centre of high atmospheric pressure.

One meteorologist, Mattia Gussoni from the weather site Ilmeteo, said the weather pattern could persist “at least until the end of the month”.