Khaberni - Three people were killed in an avalanche on Saturday in the Alps region of Italy, while Spain and Portugal face a new storm carrying more heavy rain and severe winds, raising authorities' concerns about the possibility of severe flooding and significant property damage.
The Alpine rescue service in Italy reported that three people were killed by an avalanche while skiing off-piste in the mountains of Trentino Alto Adige and Lombardy, both regions that include some of the venues for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The rescue service has not yet received confirmation of a potential fourth victim in Trentino Alto Adige, where local media reported that a man injured in a previous avalanche had died in the hospital.
The heavy snowfall that has fallen on the Alps in recent days has caused several avalanches.
Earlier this week, another avalanche in the region of Trentino Alto Adige killed two Finnish skiers.
New Storm
On the Iberian Peninsula, Spain and Portugal face storm "Marta" after storm "Leonardo" that hit both countries last week, causing floods and significant losses.
In the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, the ground has become saturated with water due to continuous heavy rain, while a firefighter died on Saturday due to the storm in Portugal, which has not yet recovered from the effects of the devastating storm "Christine" that struck last month, leaving five dead.
The president of the region of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, said "We have never seen such a sequence of storms before," describing the situation as "complicated" with dozens of roads cut off, widespread disruption of train traffic, and the evacuation of "more than 11,000 people" from their homes in affected areas.
Moreno stated that "the economic cost will reach several million euros" in the region, with the accumulation of material damages due to the storms "Leonardo" and "Marta" which are still ongoing, noting that "the agricultural sector has been severely affected," and that road repairs will cost more than 500 million euros.
State Aid
Moreno announced that the region "will request" state aid and from the European Union Solidarity Fund, which is used in cases of major natural disasters.
Earlier on Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a meeting in Madrid to monitor the severe weather conditions, following his inspection of affected areas in Andalusia where he expressed his "shock at seeing the continuous heavy rain."
The new rainfalls on Saturday add to the heavy rains that accompanied storm "Leonardo" earlier this week, which led to the deaths of two people in Spain, according to authorities.
Harsh Storms
Meanwhile, Portugal, which was also hit by storm "Marta" on Saturday, has been experiencing exceptionally harsh weather conditions for weeks.
During a visit to the north of the country on Saturday, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro remarked that this year is "truly extraordinary."
The Portuguese Civil Protection Authority announced in a statement that a firefighter died on Saturday "during a scouting and monitoring patrol" near a river in the town of Campo Maior in Portalegre district, in central Portugal. Local media reported that the 46-year-old firefighter drowned while attempting to cross a waterlogged area.
This man is the first known casualty of storm "Marta" after the storm "Leonardo" this week caused the death of another person in Portugal and led to the evacuation of 1,100 people from various parts of the country.
Last month, storm "Christine," which struck Portugal, left five dead and substantial material damage.
The risk of the Tagus River flooding in the Santarém region in central Portugal continues. Meanwhile, in the region of Alcácer do Sal, located in the south and severely affected by flooding in recent days, the waters of the Sado River have receded to its banks.
Last Sunday, Portugal announced the allocation of 2.5 billion euros for the reconstruction of what was destroyed by storm Christine that struck the country last month.
The Iberian Peninsula is among the regions most affected by climate change, experiencing, for years, increasing and prolonged heat waves, and more frequent heavy rainfall that is often destructive.
