• Controversy: Salvini takes a selfie in the floods of Venice

The well-known phenomenon of "high water" in Venice, the rise of the tides, reached on Tuesday night 187 centimeters in what is the worst flood since 1966 and a 78-year-old man died electrocuted in his house on the island of Pellestrina due to the entry of water.

The highest level of the tide was reached at 22.50 (20.50 GMT) and was one meter and 87 centimeters, the second largest measure in the history of the City of Canals after the record of 194 centimeters that was reached in the flood of 1966

"This is a disaster, the damage will have to be counted," said the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, after conducting a boat inspection.

Damages in the city are seen with the naked eye with gondolas and boats torn from the moorings and pushed towards the coasts and three vaporetti, transport ships, sunk and another drifting.

There has also been a victim, a 78-year-old man who was electrocuted in his home on the island of Pellestrina, south of Venice, due to a short circuit.

And there is great concern for the basilica of San Marcos, since the water level reached 110 centimeters during the night and has flooded it completely, including the crypt of the saint.

Already yesterday the basilica had been flooded to 70 centimeters of water in the area of ​​the Narthex, bathing the mosaics that form the floor and the columns that have just been restored after the high water that suffered in October 2018.

One of the so-called San Marcos Procurators, Pierpaolo Campostrini, expressed his concern on Tuesday to the local newspaper "Il Gazzettino" because "there are no defense systems when the water is so high."

All schools in Venice and the islands will remain closed today, while areas such as St. Mark's Square are no longer accessible to tourists and residents.

In several areas of the city there have been blackouts, especially in the Lido and in the Campo Santa Margherita and water has entered practically all the buildings in the center, including luxury hotels.

The mayor and the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, have called a press conference today to request the state of natural disaster for the city.

According to the forecasts of the Tidal Center of the city, the high water will continue throughout the week and today at 10.20 a new peak is expected with a rise up to 145 centimeters.

The Venice Tide Center asked the media to disseminate their forecasts as they have cut telephone lines due to bad weather.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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