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Venice Mayor Blames Climate Change As Italian City Inundated By Highest Tide In 50 Years

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said he would declare a state of disaster after the city was hit by the devastating high tide, which peaked at over 6 feet on Tuesday.

Dramatic photos and video captured in Venice this week show rain-booted tourists and residents wading through the flooded streets and alleyways of the Italian city. Some said they’d been forced to essentially swim through the City of Canals after it was inundated by the highest tide Venice has seen in more than 50 years.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who said he would declare a state of disaster over the flooding, blamed climate change for the β€œdevastating” acqua alta, or high waters, which peaked at over 6 feet on Tuesday night.

β€œThe situation is dramatic,” Brugnaro said on Twitter, per a Reuters translation. The exceptionally high tide β€œis going to leave an indelible wound,” he added.

The Mayor of Venice blames climate change for tonight’s state of emergency flooding event with water just shy of the devastating record-high β€œaqua alta” of 1966.

St Mark’s Basilica is flooded for the second time in 2 years.

Before 2018, it happened 4 times in over 900 years. https://t.co/3pOEicxOOY

β€” Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) November 13, 2019

The city’s famed Saint Mark’s Square was deluged by more than 3 feet of water, and Saint Mark’s Basilica was flooded for only the sixth time in 1,200 years, Reuters reported.

Four of the church’s floodings have occurred in the last 20 years, the outlet reported.

WATCH: Shocking video shows people wading through more than 4 feet of water in Venice, Italy, during floods that left the city's historic basilica and many of its squares underwater. https://t.co/Ys5BJeUSIM pic.twitter.com/HgMHVcaj9T

β€” CBS News (@CBSNews) November 13, 2019

#Venice underwater as flood hits the historic centre #Venezia #Italy pic.twitter.com/xXdeTdh0yc

β€” ivan (@ivan8848) November 12, 2019

Rising waters flood parts of Venice: https://t.co/BD4KRowGeQ πŸ“· Manuel Silvestri pic.twitter.com/3sm2oOTY91

β€” Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) November 12, 2019

Flooding in Venice may present tourists with a photo opportunity, but for locals, it causes only problems pic.twitter.com/0kNchxKZ4C

β€” Reuters (@Reuters) November 13, 2019

Significant flooding in Venice, Italy this morning 12th November! Thanks to Kristaps. Bankis ig #severeweather #floods #extremeweather pic.twitter.com/sMDE2JQ7bS

β€” WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) November 12, 2019

The Guardian, citing La Stampa, said at least two people have died in the Venice floods. A man was reportedly fatally electrocuted after floodwaters rushed into his home, and the body of another man was found in his home.

Heavy rains have battered swathes of Italy in recent days, bringing flood conditions to many parts of the country. The deluge forced schools in many southern cities including Taranto and Matera to close, AFP reported.

More bad weather is expected in the coming days, meteorologists have warned.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.