Storms and torrential rain that hit Liguria overnight and continued early on Tuesday have caused landslides and flooding in many parts of the northeastern region, according to ANSA.

The extreme weather saw Campo Ligure experience 97mm of rain in one hour while Rossiglione got 81mm.

Stretches of Turchino state highway were flooded and there were landslides in Rossiglione and Masone.

A series of recent disasters triggered by extreme weather have shown Italy's high exposure to hydrogeological risks, including flooding, mudslides and landslides.

Giorgia Meloni's cabinet last month declared a state of emergency in Emilia Romagna and Marche after devastating floods there.

Many of the areas affected were the same ones hit by flooding and landslides in May 2023 linked to unprecedented rainfall that left 17 people dead and caused billions of euros of damage.

Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and more intense.

Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge profits for the world's energy giants.