Floods North Africa

The worst flooding in more than half a century turned northern Italy into a disaster area Sunday and killed at least 54 people across southern Europe and North Africa. With hundreds of people reported missing, the number of dead was expected to rise as rescuers reached isolated villages and searched through the rubble of destroyed homes. The flooding, reportedly the worst in Italy since 1913, swept away bridges and whole sections of highway and cut off hundreds of villages.

The worst flooding in more than half a century turned northern Italy into a disaster area Sunday and killed at least 54 people across southern Europe and North Africa. With hundreds of people reported missing, the number of dead was expected to rise as rescuers reached isolated villages and searched through the rubble of destroyed homes. The flooding, reportedly the worst in Italy since 1913, swept away bridges and whole sections of highway and cut off hundreds of villages.