01-07-2025
Lorries face reversing for miles after landslides block their path
Vehicles have been trapped on a winding mountain pass after heavy rainfall caused landslides on the border with France and Italy.
Lorries were pictured stuck amid the debris, with the road ahead totally blocked with mud and rock that tore down from the hillside above.
The road is much to narrow for the vehicles to manage turning around, so they could face having to reverse for miles, all the way back to the nearest turnoff, just before the town of Argentera in Italy.
The landslides happened on the Strada Statale 21 del Colle della Maddalena, which heads north into the French Alps.
Emergency services said the landslides happened after an intense downpour.
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This afternoon, firefighters were clearing the road surface to follow vehicles stuck on the road to move again.
It is not clear exactly where the lorries are stuck, but the road has been closed in both directions just south of Argentera town, near Turin in northern Italy.
ANSA news agency reported that drivers were being rescued by the fire service.
They added that team of volunteers along with the Turin Drago 66 helicopter were going to the site to support the efforts to deal with the landslides.
The heavy rain comes as elsewhere in Europe swelters under a heat dome, with Spain and Italy predicted to see a maximu temperature topping 42C.
Spain, Portugal, Greece and France have all issued extreme heat, wildfire and health warnings.
Several Italian regions, including Sicily and Liguria, have introduced bans on outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day.
The heatwave follows a series of extreme-heat records, including Europe's hottest March ever, according to the EU's Copernicus climate monitor.
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