Woman found dead in cave as snap grips Italy

ROME, Friday

A woman was found frozen to death in a cave near Rome and a man was reported attacked by scavenging stray dogs near Rimini as a cold snap gripped Italy on Friday, causing traffic chaos and blackouts.

The 42-year-old Romanian woman was believed to be sleeping rough and had sought shelter in the cave in the Magliana suburb south of Rome.

Her death brings the toll from freezing temperatures across Italy over the past 10 days to more than 45, including people who suffered heart attacks after digging away piles of snow and truck drivers found dead in their cabins.

Several flights between Rome and Milan were cancelled, and rail traffic was disrupted as the snow fell on central Italy including on the Tuscan island of Giglio — the scene of last month’s cruise ship wreck.

Snow also began falling on the outskirts of Rome, a city unaccustomed to wintry weather where a snowfall last week sparked chaos.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said that this time round city authorities were ready with 1,000 tonnes of salt and 600 snowploughs and other machinery.

Schools and public offices were closed Friday in response to weather advisories.

Rome residents have stocked up on food for the weekend, fearful of a repeat of the disruption seen last weekend.

At the Porta Portese street market, snow chains have been selling for up to 400 euros ($530) in recent days. City authorities have said all cars must use snow chains.

Meanwhile in the city of Padua in the northeast, firefighters had to hack down a three-metre (10-foot) icicle weighing 50 kilos (more than 100 pounds) in the city centre.

Officials said snow was falling on a total of 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) of motorway, including parts of southern Italy where snow is extremely rare.

“This is an extremely serious situation,” said Pasquale Manfredi, mayor of the village of Campana in the southern Calabria region.

Snowfalls were also reported blanketing Arezzo, Siena and Viterbo.