More than 400 rescuers from that locality and from the neighboring regions of Lombardy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo are involved in civil protection tasks and aid to the displaced and people who suffered damage, La Stampa newspaper reported Saturday.

Rescuers managed to recover in the last hours the bodies of an 80-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl, swept away by a stream of water and mud that flooded streets and houses in several villages early Friday morning, after heavy rains overflowed the Misa river.

The search continues for two people in the commune of Barbara and another in Fabriano, including an eight-year-old child, but experts do not rule out the possibility that there are other victims of the catastrophe.

Filippo Saltamartini, regional health councilor, said that what happened was a real catastrophe, some 2,600 calls for help were received, as the water swept away many citizens.

The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, visited the town of Pianello di Ostra, one of the most affected by the disaster, on the afternoon of September 16, where he assessed the damage and reaffirmed the government’s support for the recovery of the area declared in a state of emergency. The meteorological services maintain the state of alert for the entire region where heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, wind gusts and storm surges are expected in the coming hours.

pgh/arm/ro/ort