Situation in Parma 'worse than expected' following floods

(ANSA) - Parma, October 14 - Parma Mayor Federico Pizzarotti on Monday night described the situation as "much worse than expected" after the Baganza River broke its banks, leaving parts of the northern city buried in mud.
    "This kind of event leaves a city that is injured and fragile," wrote Pizzarotti on his Facebook profile, listing a hospital, a centre for the elderly and a bridge among the structures worst hit. Telecommunications services have also been badly affected as a result of the flooding, leaving residents unable to communicate with the local authorities among other things. Meanwhile in the northwestern coastal region of Liguria the emergency alert was lifted Tuesday morning following a let-up in the torrential rainfall that caused millions of euros in flood damage in Genoa and killed one person Friday.
    However the situation in the beleaguered port city remained critical, with meteorologists predicting possible fresh thuderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday.