Italy storms kill 10, spark climate debate

OSTRA, Italy: At least 10 people died and four were missing after heavy rain sparked major flooding in central Italy, pushing the issue of climate change up the agenda the week before elections.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi confirmed the toll before heading to the town of Ostra near Ancona, one of the places worst hit when more than 400 millimetres of rain fell over a few hours on Thursday evening.

"It was scary because it happened so fast. It sounded like a waterfall," said Laura Marinelli, 33, who grabbed her 18-month-old daughter and ran to neighbours upstairs as her ground-floor home near Ostra began to flood. The waters kept rising and they climbed onto the roof to call for help. "We’ve lost everything, all the photos, all the letters you can’t replace," she told AFP, plastic pink toys floating in the submerged garden nearby.