Tornado in Versilia, damage to bathing establishments and beaches evacuated

(ANSA) – VIAREGGIO (LUCCA), 15 AUGUST – Not only the fires of the last 24 hours, Ferragosto on the Versilia coast, between Viareggio and Cinquale, was ruined by a very strong wind that raised sand and scared away the people who were on the beach. There were some bathing establishments that suffered damage to their equipment, including the Alhambra in Darsena in Viareggio, as reported on Facebook by the owner Iacopo Giannini. In Lido di Camaiore a sudden whirlwind that lasted a few minutes made customers flee inside the bars and closed the umbrellas. At midday on Ferragosto the beach was empty. Some people took refuge in their cars. The awards ceremony for the Florence-Viareggio cycling race was also interrupted. In Alta Versilia in Seravezza the mayor Lorenzo Alessandrini has ordered the closure of the riverbed in the Serra Valley, due to adverse weather conditions: in case of heavy rain the river area is subject to a sudden rise in water level with obvious flood risks. The evacuation of the areas visited by day trippers in search of fresh air has been ordered. In Cinquale (Massa Carrara) the civil protection has ordered the evacuation of the beaches. The weather has also ‘gone crazy’ on the Pisa coast with gusts of strong wind and rough seas that have engaged the firefighters in two separate rescues. The disturbance occurred after lunchtime. In Marina di Pisa at 1.30 pm, in Boccadarno, the mouth, there was an initial intervention with a firefighter’s vessel that rescued a boat with a broken engine. On board there were two people and a dog, all rescued and brought ashore without damage. A few hours later, firefighters rescued a boat with four people in it at Gombo, in the San Rossore park, that the storm had hit the rocks. Firefighters arrived with jet skis and rescued the family in difficulty, taking them to the beach. There were no injuries in either incident. (ANSA).