Storm brings down trees in Milan as fire closes Sicily airport

MILAN: Violent storms have hit northern Italy, causing the death of teenage scout on a camping trip, while wildfires in Sicily forced Palermo airport to close on Tuesday.

High winds, torrential rain and hail swept through Milan in the early hours, flooding streets and uprooting trees, many of which fell onto parked cars.

Transport authorities reported serious damage to the city’s electricity network, while an AFP journalist reported that water in the historic centre was temporarily shut off.

In the area around nearby Brescia, a 16-year-old girl on a scout camp was killed when a tree fell on her tent, according to Italian news agencies.

Firefighters evacuated the other members of the camp, taking them to a sports hall nearby, ANSA said.

A heatwave has hung over the south of Italy, with Sicily’s civil protection agency reporting a temperature of 47.6 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Celsius) in Catania on Monday.

Firefighters on Tuesday reported a night of battling wildfires in Sicily, one of which got so close to Palermo airport that it shut down for several hours on Tuesday morning.

Train services were also heavily disrupted.