On Monday, local media reported that at least three people died and dozens were hospitalized due to a series of highway accidents in northern Italy caused by foggy weather and low visibility.
Over 150 vehicles were involved in the accidents, and over 70 km of highway had to be temporarily closed.
Among the deceased was a truck driver whose vehicle crashed into cars in the Emilia-Romagna region, causing a pile-up. Two other fatalities occurred in Lombardy, near the city of Brescia.
A spokesman for the highway patrol in Emilia-Romagna told Xinhua that visibility was extremely low due to dense fog early Monday morning, with the inability to see clearly up to 30 meters in front.
One of the accidents, a major pile-up on highway A22 between the Emilia-Romagna cities of Reggio Emilia and Modena, involved over 100 vehicles.
Reports indicated that police and firefighters had to rescue several motorists from damaged vehicles, with about two dozen people being hospitalized, two of whom were in intensive care.
The weather forecast predicted that the foggy weather would continue in the area in the coming days.
The dense fog is part of a trend of severe weather conditions in Italy, with the country experiencing 378 severe weather events last year as reported by the observatory run by the environmental group Legambiente, including heatwaves, drought, hailstorms, floods, and gales.
