Italian cabinet to meet to discuss emergency situation.

The death toll from the devastating floods in Italy's northern Emilia-Romagna region rose to 13 on Thursday, Italian media reported, as thousands of evacuated people wait to return to their homes.

Rescuers continue to search for missing people as the region's authorities and residents count the costs of the severe flooding which began earlier this week after torrential rain caused 21 rivers to burst their banks. 

A red alert remains in place on Friday, three days after thousands of people were evacuated from the worst-hit areas around Faenza, Cesena and Forli, with a major clean-up operation underway.

#Maltempo #EmiliaRomagna, 1.773 interventi per l’#AlluvioneRomagna. Operazioni di soccorso, evacuazioni, prosciugamenti, #oggi la consegna di pasti in una clinica a Cotignola (RA) ai pazienti ricoverati prossimi al trasferimento in altre strutture ospedaliere #18maggio pic.twitter.com/Xwc5BW5Tku

— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) May 18, 2023

The cabinet of Italian premier Giorgia Meloni is meeting next Tuesday to address the emergency situation in Emilia-Romagna and other northern regions affected by extreme weather.

The flooding, which came just two weeks after Emilia-Romagna was battered by extreme weather causing two fatalities, has left tens of thousands of people without electricity.

The Formula One Grand Prix scheduled in Imola on Sunday has been called off however the sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert in Ferrara went ahead on Thursday night.

Italy's civil protection minister Nello Musumeci stated that some areas of Emilia-Romagna had received half their average annual rainfall in 36 hours, while the region's governor Stefano Bonaccini described the disaster as "an event of extraordinary magnitude, never recorded before."