Storm Ciarán: Floods ravage Tuscany leaving three dead

Large areas of Tuscany have been hit by flooding, leaving three elderly people dead and six others missing, as heavy winds and rain buffeted central Italy.

Cars were swept away and water levels were rising on the River Arno - due to burst its banks later on Friday.

Hospitals were flooded, people were trapped in their cars in underpasses and rescued from their homes with rubber dinghies.

Storm Ciarán has caused more than 10 deaths across Western Europe.

Winds of 207km/h (129 mph) were recorded earlier on the north-west coast of France, as the storm also lashed southern England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal.

A five-year-old child was one of two people killed in Belgium by falling trees.

Power lines went down and transport was severely disrupted. Residents had to be evacuated from their homes on the Channel Island of Jersey.

The storm reached Tuscany on Thursday night, and regional governor Eugenio Giani declared a state of emergency as winds reached 140km/h.

Livorno on the coast and the towns of Prato and Montemurlo near Florence were among the worst affected areas.

In Montemurlo, officials said on Friday that 200mm of rain had fallen since Thursday afternoon and the Bisenzio river burst its banks. An 85-year-old man was found dead on the ground floor of his flooded home. Rescues believe he had been unable to climb the stairs to safety.

The mayor of Prato, Matteo Biffoni, described overnight events as a "blow to the stomach". Floods left entire areas submerged and the ground floor of town's Santo Stefano hospital was partially flooded.