A 53-year-old man died near the Sicilian city of Modica early on Wednesday after being hit by a tornado that has been battering the area, sources said.
The man is thought to have gone out of his home to fix a shutter or railing that had been dislodged by violent winds and torrential rain.
The mayor of Modica appealed to people not to go out of their homes unless it is absolutely necessary.
It is only the latest in a series of deaths caused by extreme-weather events in Italy in recent weeks.
Scientists say that human-caused climate change is making such events more frequent and more intense.
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