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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is returning early from the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, as her country battles floods that have killed at least 14 people.
The worst floods in 100 years in Italy have seen cities and towns in the the northern and eastern regions of Emilia Romagna and Le Marche submerged after around six months’ worth of rain fell in 48 hours. The devastation has precipitated Meloni’s early departure from the G7, Italian news agency ANSA and other media reported on Saturday.
Italy’s Council of Ministers is set to meet Tuesday to discuss “the first urgent measures” to address the floods. In a tweet on Saturday, Meloni thanked the other leaders at the summit, saying that their closeness “is a tangible sign of our cohesion in difficult times.” Photographs captured Meloni showing her counterparts at the summit images of the floods.
The floods have also opened questions about why billions of euros allocated for structural works to counter hydrogeological instability have never been used.
