1 dead, thousands isolated as extreme weather hits Italy

A teenager died and thousands of people were isolated after heavy snow and rainfall battered northern Italy over the weekend, authorities said on Monday, reported Xinhua.

Avalanches were reported on Sunday in the mountainous areas in the northwest, as well as in Alto Adige in the northeast, where local media reported that a 16-year-old boy died after being buried in snow while skiing off-piste.

The boy's body was retrieved on Sunday night, according to Alto Adige newspaper.

The national civil protection agency has issued an orange alert (second-highest in the country's three-tier scale system) for hydro-geological risk in northern Piedmont and Emilia Romagna, and a lesser yellow alert for 15 other regions.

In Alpine Valle d'Aosta, an avalanche has blocked a tunnel on a pivotal highway and isolated more than 4,500 residents and tourists in the upper Gressoney valley since Sunday night.

The highway is expected to resume traffic after the tunnel is cleaned of snow by Monday night, the head of Valle d'Aosta Civil Protection told ANSA news agency after an emergency meeting.

But the regional department has warned of more snow, strong wind and avalanche risks on Monday.

Local authorities said the extreme weather had not affected power and food supplies, but most schools were closed on Monday for safety reasons.

Rain-triggered landslides during the weekend also hit the coastal Liguria region and Tuscany, whereas snow and swollen rivers cut several roads around Turin, Piedmont's regional capital.

Though no major disruption was reported in Turin's city proper, the Po' river is under constant surveillance as its water level has risen by 1.6 meters in 24 hours to reach an alarm level, the regional environmental protection agency said.