Heavy rain has swelled rivers and flooded streets in Florence, with authorities issuing a red weather alert for the historic Italian city and its surroundings, urging residents to stay indoors.

Flooding and landslides have been reported in parts of northern Italy amid red weather alerts affecting cities including Florence and Pisa. Torrential rain prompted the alert for parts of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna,

Thunderstorms packing torrential rains triggered flooding across a number of Italian cities, disrupting flights and forcing the authorities to close schools, markets and other public areas.