More than twenty rivers have burst their banks in Italy, leaving thirteen people dead and forcing thousands from their homes after six months’ rainfall fell in a day and a half.

More bodies were found after almost every river flooded between Bologna and the north-east coast one hundred and fifteen kilometers away.

Reports say around two hundred and eighty landslides have taken place due to the unusual rainfall.

The mayor of Ravenna, a city badly affected by flooding, Michele de Pascale told the the media, it was the worst disaster in a century.

He described the damage caused by the floods as catastrophic, costing people in his city and the wider region their homes, possessions and for some, their lives.