Storm Ciaran claims five lives in Tuscany and washes cars down the street as ... trends now

Storm Ciaran has claimed five more lives as record-breaking rainfall produced floods that hit a vast swathe of Tuscany as Storm Ciaran pushed into Italy today, trapping residents in their homes, inundating hospitals and overturning cars.

Nearly eight inches of rain fell in three hours, flooding the River Arno, with the storm's death toll in western Europe rising to 12. 

Dramatic scenes showed at least a dozen cars getting pushed down the road at night by a gushing muddy current.

'There was a wave of water bombs without precedence,' Tuscany governor Eugenio Giani told Italian news channel Sky TG24 as he tried to describe the downpour.

He reported the five deaths on social media and posted photos of vast inland areas inundated by the flooding.

The dead in Tuscany included an 85-year-old man found in the flooded ground floor of his home near the city of Prato, north of Florence, and an 84-year-old woman who died while trying to push water out of her home in the same area, according to Italian news agency ANSA. Another victim was reported in Livorno.

At least three people were missing in Tuscany, and one person was reported missing in the mountains of Veneto, north of Venice. Other regions were on high alert and authorities warned that the storm was heading towards southern Italy.

Ciaran left at least seven people dead as it swept across Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany on Thursday. The storm devastated homes, caused travel mayhem and cut power to a vast number of people.

As the storm moved on, it left hospitals flooded in Italy's Pisa and Mugello. Throughout Tuscany, train lines and roads were disrupted and schools were closed.

The mayor of Prato expressed shock at the force of the flood that devastated the city overnight. By

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