Italian Towns Hit by Deadly Flooding

Deadly floods in central Italy swept through several towns, leaving a trail of damaged cars, shops and roads as residents came together to clear away debris Friday.

MORE: At least 10 people died and four were missing after violent storms lashed central Italy, reports said, pushing the issue of climate change up the agenda the week before elections.

Water swept through towns and villages, turning streets into rivers after about 400 millimeters of rain reportedly fell in two hours.

Emergency services initially put the death toll at seven, but this rose midmorning to 10, according to the AGI news agency, citing local authorities.

One of those reported missing earlier was a child traveling in a car. The mother was rescued, but the child was washed away by the floodwaters, AGI said.

The fire service said that it had 300 people working on the floods, and that "dozens of people" had been saved overnight after they took refuge on roofs of houses and in trees.