Intense storm batters northern Italy with heavy rain and thunderstorms

Northern Italy is grappling with a severe storm featuring heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, leading emergency services to issue orange alerts for potential floods and flash floods across multiple regions. The southern part of the country, however, continues to swelter under an intense heatwave.

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In a matter of seconds, without his mother being able to warn him, he put a pin in his mouth and inhaled it. The object ended up lodged in the left main bronchus.

Liguria, in the north, bore the brunt of the storm, recording more than 37,000 lightning strikes in just a few hours. The town of Chiavari experienced a deluge of 103 millimeters of rain in a single hour, prompting the local government to activate warning sirens due to the imminent risk of the Rupinaro stream overflowing. Residents were advised to move to higher floors as a precaution.

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Today that pin is out and a little girl returns to her family. Behind every successful procedure there is not only a technique or a medical image: there is a life that continues. Science with humanity.

The severe weather has caused significant disruptions, including large puddles on the highway between Genoa and Rome, fallen trees, and considerable issues within the railway network, leading to delays and cancellations. In Ventimiglia, near the French border, a lightning strike disabled the traffic control room, halting all train services. The meteorological instability is expected to persist through Friday, with orange alerts for storms remaining in effect for Friuli Venecia Julia, Tuscany, and eastern Liguria, while yellow alerts for heavy precipitation extend to central regions like Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche, Molise, and Umbria. In response, Florence authorities ordered the closure of parks, cemeteries, and some tram lines near the Arno River.

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I share these images not to alarm, but to prevent. At this age, children explore the world by putting objects in their mouths. A needle, a coin, a seed, or any small object can reach the respiratory tract in just seconds.