Devastating Italian floods kill at least 13, wreck homes and farms

Overturned pews are seen in a church after heavy rains hit Italy's Emilia Romagna region, in Castel Bolognese, Italy, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

CESENA, Italy (Reuters) -Floods that killed at least 13 people in Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region caused billions of euros' worth of damage and hit agriculture particularly hard, the regional governor said on Thursday.

Torrential rains this week devastated the eastern side of the region, known as Romagna, with up to 300 landslides, 23 overflowing rivers, some 400 roads damaged or destroyed, and 42 flooded municipalities.