Rome (CNN)The number of people killed in weather-related incidents in Italy has risen to 11, the country’s Civil Protection agency said Wednesday, as officials in the flooded lagoon city of Venice warned that salt water may have caused significant damage to historic sites.
Much of Venice was engulfed with water on Monday after high tides and strong winds caused the worst flooding for years, transforming the vast expanse of St. Mark’s Square into a lake and spilling across ancient marble floors in St. Mark’s Basilica.
“In a single day, the basilica aged 20 years, but perhaps this is an optimistic consideration,” Carlo Alberto Tesserin, head of the board responsible for St. Mark’s Basilica, said in a statement.
