Italian firefighters evacuate stranded residents

STORY: Torrential rains devastated eastern parts of the Emilia-Romagna region, killing 14 people, causing billions of euros worth of damage and hitting agriculture particularly hard.

Around 36,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and many of those who remained in flooded areas were left without electricity.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni left the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima a day earlier than scheduled to lead the response to flooding which hit the north of her country this week.

The Italian government will hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (May 23) to decide on measures to help people to cope with the emergency.