Tourists at sea as floods sweep Venice
Rain-soaked tourists in Venice were barred from an inundated St. Mark's Square on Monday, as fierce winds and rains lashing much of the country drenched the floating city, an AFP photographer reported.
As local authorities said the "acqua alta" (high water) peaked at 156 centimetres (61 inches) by early afternoon, the elevated wooden platforms usually placed on main passageways in the Renaissance city were not enough to ensure safe passage in the low-lying square.
Families carried children on their shoulders through the surrounding streets. While some tourists donned thigh-high wellies, others had opted to take off their shoes and wade through the water.
The waters have only topped 150 centimetres five times before in recorded history. In 1966, when floods swept through the country, famously devastating Florence's historic centre, the waters reached 194 centimetres in Venice.
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A woman carries a suitcase upon her shoulders in flooded Venice where the high water peaked at 156 centimetres (61 inches) -
Tourists take pictures of flooded St Mark's Square where due to the high-water (Acqua Alta) tourists were barred from walking in the inundated plaza -
Chairs float in the flooded waters of Venice which have only topped 150 centimetres five times before in recorded history
© 2018 AFP
