A father and son have been killed after they were swallowed up by a sinkhole in flood-ravaged Italy.
It comes after ‘exceptional’ Storm Hans battered Europe with extreme weather, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
The brutal tempest swept over parts of Spain, Switzerland, and large parts of Italy yesterday, bringing torrential rain, flash floods, and meters of snow.
Many roads were shut in all three countries due to fallen trees or the risk of avalanches and tourists in snow-hit French ski resorts were told to stay inside.
Leone and Francesco Nardon, aged 64 and 33, were killed when they fell into a sinkhole with their car in the Italian town of Valdagno last night.
They had braved the storm to help with rescue efforts before the wet weather caused the ground to give way, local media reports.
According to local press, the car was absorbed by the pit and ended up in the course of the Agno River.
A 92-year-old man also died and was found by firefighters in his flooded home in the northern Piedmont region, the fire brigade said.
‘Intense and abundant’ rain had lashed the north of Italy, turning to snow above 1,800 metres (5,905 feet) altitude, the Italian air force’s weather service said.
The northwest region of Piedmont was put on red alert yesterday after heavy rains caused towns to be severely flooded and a bridge in the Biella area.
A father and son were swallowed up by a sinkhole (pictured) in Italy. In the Italian town of Vicenza Leone and Francesco Nardon died when they fell into a sink hole with their car last night
Meanwhile, the impact of the storm claimed another life in the Alpine town of Val Thorens (pictured) after a man suffered a heart attack when he was buried under a snow slide at the entrance to the ski resort
Dramatic video footage shows fast-flowing water streaming through the streets of Turin and leaving the town completely underwater
‘Intense and abundant’ rain had lashed the north of Italy, turning to snow above 1,800 metres (5,905 feet) altitude, the Italian air force’s weather service said. Pictured: Flooding in Piedmont
Italy was hit by flash floods and a 7ft snow dump in France sparked avalanche fears. Pictured: Flooding in Piedmont, Italy
Dramatic video footage shows fast-flowing water streaming through the streets of Turin and leaving the town completely underwater.
And, almost half of the Aosta Valley municipalities were left without electricity due to trees falling on power lines.
Meanwhile, tourists in snow-hit ski resorts have been warned to stay inside after the storm claimed another life in the Alpine town of Val Thorens.
A man suffered a cardiac arrest after he was buried under a snow slide at the entrance to the ski resort, local media reported.
Four avalanches were reported in Les Menuires and Val Thorens, according to Ludovic Trautmann, director of the Savoie Prefecture.
Avalanche risk was hiked to its maximum level in several regions, shutting down several ski areas.
Although snow in April is not rare in the Alps mountain range, the amount that fell in just hours was unusual and took authorities and residents by surprise.
Trautmann has called for ‘the utmost vigilance’ from tourists and residents in the coming days.
In a press release yesterday the office indicated that 4,000 homes were left without electricity and that several disruptions on the road network were expected.
And, in Tignes, authorities ordered residents to stay indoors after more than 1.1 metres (three and a half feet) of snow fell overnight.
The Met Office wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘Storm Hans, named by the Italian Met Service, will bring strong winds and rough seas to parts of the Mediterranean this week. Heavy rain is also a concern, particularly in northern Italy, where over 200mm may fall by Thursday, giving a risk of flash flooding and landslides.’ Pictured: An avalanche in Italy
Heavy snowfall in the Savoyard resort of Tignes (pictured)
Pictured: Firemen remove the rests of a tree that broke under the weight of the snow in the city of Sierre as severe weather hits Swiss Alps
The extreme weather swept over parts of Spain, Switzerland, France and across large parts of Italy. Pictured: Piedmont, Italy
‘All cars are covered up to the roof… Just walking outside is worrying,’ said Mathis, a hotel employee in Tignes.
According to the tourist office, ‘this is the heaviest snowfall of the season.’
The 36,000 people in the Swiss town of Sion were also told to stay home.
‘In such a short time, this is an enormous amount (of snow),’ said Yann Geaudry, a retired cross-country ski instructor in the French village of Termignon, who was worried about the risk of floods when the snow melts in the spring sunshine.
Heavy trucks were banned from using the main Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy and dozens that could not get through tunnels were stuck on the A43 highway linking Italy and France.
Pictured: Heavy floods due to torrential rainfall in Rubiana of Turin, Italy
The met office issued a warning to British tourists as Storm Hans batters Europe over the Easter break. Pictured: Flooding in Turin, Italy
Although snow in April is not rare in the Alps mountain range, the amount that fell in just hours was unusual and took authorities and residents by surprise.
Trains were also affected, and at one point more than 3,300 French homes were without power, according to local authorities in the Savoie region.
‘It’s truly exceptional,’ said Didier Beauchet, a retiree who has lived in Lanslebourg in Savoie for 40 years.
‘I must have seen that only five times,’ he told AFP, as motorists around him worked to free their snow-covered cars.
