Several thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes due to heavy rain in northern Italy. In Bologna and the surrounding areas, over 2,000 residents spent the night in emergency shelters or with family and friends.

Floods engulfed parts of north-central Italy from overflowing rivers following days of heavy rain, prompting the state-led road operator to close some expressways.

An "avalanche of water" in northeast Italy claimed one life and left swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region under water Sunday, local officials said.