Floods Kill 9 in Italy

At least nine people have died in flash floods as torrential rains lashed Italy from the Alps to Sicily, authorities say. At least six were missing. Most of the victims were in Borghetto Vara, a northwestern coastal village in the Liguria region. Roiling waters and mud drove through the village, about 45 miles from Genoa and near the Cinque Terre, a popular vacation area. At least one building collapsed.

One victim died while trying to clear gutters in another coastal town; two died in the nearby province of Massa Carrara. Flood waters swept away roads and bridges in some places, and several towns in Liguria remained cut off from the outside world. Authorities said major highways and the railway in Liguria would remain closed at least through Sunday. The storm spared few areas, but Liguria and Tuscany were the hardest hit. Click here for more on Thailand's similar woes. (More Italy stories.)