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The emergency room in Riccione's Ceccarini Hospital was flooded on Tuesday morning, along with the town's railway station, while underpasses and bridges in the area were impassable.
Firefighters in the town reportedly rescued two disabled people who had been stranded on a main road by reaching them with rubber dinghies.
READ ALSO: Italy's bad weather 'likely to last till end of May'
Train operator RFI announced that rail services on the Bologna-Rimini, Forlì-Rimini, Ferrara-Rimini and Ravenna-Rimini lines would be temporarily suspended.
Schools in Bologna, Modena, Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini were closed throughout the day on Tuesday as a precautionary measure, and the mayor of Ravenna announced the closure of sports centres and outdoor markets.
Italy's Civil Protection Department had issued its highest-level red weather alert for parts of the region for Tuesday, with hundreds of civil protection volunteers called up to assist with relief efforts, according to news agency Ansa.
?Martedì #16maggio
— Dipartimento Protezione Civile (@DPCgov) May 15, 2023
??#allertaROSSA in Emilia-Romagna
??#allertaARANCIONE in Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Campania e Sicilia
??#allertaGIALLA in 14 regioni
⛈?️Temporali e venti fino a burrasca da Nord a Sud. Avviso meteo #15maggio ? https://t.co/4AIAuJc6BV #protezionecivile pic.twitter.com/3CK8q38X7p
The neighbouring region of Marche also experienced widespread flooding, particularly in the coastal town of Pesaro, south of Riccione, where roads in the Loreto district have turned into streams.
There are particular fears that the Misa river, which crosses the Marche port town of Senigallia, has reached capacity and is on the verge of bursting its banks.
Forti piogge e allagamenti in Emilia Romagna e Marche. Da Rimini a Senigallia, i video delle inondazioni dalle città #ANSA https://t.co/o0XnyEynlH pic.twitter.com/IJszwxHMhR
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) May 16, 2023
Residents of the town were reportedly told to head to the upper floors of their homes and to stay on high alert.
It's feared that between Tuesday and Wednesday parts of Emilia Romagna could receive as much as 150mm of rainfall in 48 hours.
Two lives were claimed earlier this month when similar levels were reached over a two-day period.
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