After a storm, several roads and buildings in South Tyrol were blocked by debris and mud. Photo: dpa
A storm has left its mark in South Tyrol: roads were flooded, bridges were washed away and avalanches were triggered.
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In South Tyrol, a violent storm devastated several streets and buildings on Saturday evening after rivers burst their banks. The short but intense thunderstorms caused severe damage in parts of Italy’s northernmost province.
In some areas, bridges were swept away by the water masses in streams, and a scree avalanche fell below the Gardena Pass in the Dolomites. Cleanup efforts began in some areas on Sunday morning.
In Olang in the east of South Tyrol, for example, streams developed into torrents – several wooden bridges were torn away by the water masses. Videos on social media showed how the Furkelbach developed into a huge flood and swept away three bridges. In addition, several roads and buildings in the area were blocked by debris and mud, as the South Tyrolean fire brigade announced early Sunday morning.
Debris avalanche buries cars in parking lot
Three kilometers below the Gardena Pass, a mountain pass east of Bolzano, a massive avalanche of debris engulfed several vehicles in a parking lot and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
According to the fire department, no one was injured. In the Puster Valley, 50 liters per square meter of precipitation fell in two hours – 500 lightning bolts were registered, meteorologist Dieter Peterlin wrote on Twitter. He expects the next thunderstorm front from Tuesday.