Northwest Italy floods kill 6; Genoa awash in mud

GENOA, Italy Torrential rains lashed Genoa and Italy's western coastline again Friday, triggering flash floods that killed at least six people as raging water uprooted trees and swept cars and furniture through the streets.

Six people were confirmed dead and one person was missing. Two of the dead were reported to be children.One woman was reportedly crushed by cars being swept away by the water in Genoa.

As two rivers broke their banks, authorities urged residents to move to the upper floors of buildings and warned that the worst could still come with rains forecast at least through Saturday."Oh God, it's a disaster, it's a disaster!" wailed one woman whose video of recycling bins, motorcycles and cars being swept along city streets was shown on RAI state television. "Oh God, it's a person," she said, zeroing in on an apparent corpse floating in the cappuccino-colored rivers of mud. Flights were canceled or delayed and Saturday's soccer match against Inter Milan was postponed as the Marassi neighborhood around Genoa's stadium has been among the hardest hit areas of the city

Much of northern Italy was hit by heavy rains Friday, and flooding was also reported in Venice.

In a sign of the seriousness of the problem, Premier Silvio Berlusconi gave Italy's civil protection chief extra authority to take whatever measures were necessary to provide assistance to affected residents.

Last week the government declared a state of emergency in the northwestern Liguria region and Tuscany after storms lashed the coastal regions, killing at least 10 people and causing widespread flooding and mudslides.

That flooding brought down bridges and houses. Widespread flooding and mudslides in villages in the picturesque Cinque Terre area cut electricity and blocked roads and railways.

People in some of the towns were evacuated by sea.

The government allocated nearly $100 million in aid for the area.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.