'It was unbelievable, the water rose so quickly'

VENICE: Venetians woke yesterday to devastating scenes after the highest tide in 50 years washed through the historic Italian city, beaching gondolas, trashing hotels and sending tourists fleeing through rapidly rising waters. Shopkeepers on the Grand Canal raged against those who have failed to protect the UNESCO city from the high tide, blaming corruption for the much-delayed barrier protection system which could have prevented the disaster.

"The city is on its knees," Venice's mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in an interview with national broadcaster RAI. "There's widespread devastation," he said in the famed St Mark's Square, which bore the brunt of the flooding. Tourists lugging heavy suitcases waded in thigh-high galoshes or barefoot through the submerged alleys, as water taxi and gondola drivers baled sewage-tainted water out of their trashed vessels. The exceptionally intense "acqua alta," or high waters, peaked at 1.87 meters. Only once since records began in 1923 has the water crept even higher, reaching 1.94 meters in 1966.

"It was unbelievable, the water rose so quickly," said resident Tiziano Collarin, 59, as he surveyed the damage. "Windows were blown out, there are those who have lost everything," he said as the flood alarm rang out to warn those in the canal city that the tide, which had receded somewhat overnight, was coming in once again. The fire brigade said it had carried out over 250 operations as well as laying on extra boats as water ambulances.

Around 150 fire fighters were deployed to rescue people stranded on jetties and to recover boats broken free from their moorings. A 78-year old was killed by electric shock as the waters poured into his home, Italian media reported. President of the Veneto region Luca Zaia said 80 percent of the city had been submerged, causing "unimaginable damage".

'Horrifying'

German tourist Gabi Brueckner, 58, said the nighttime drama had been "horrifying". She echoed the mayor in blaming climate change and said she feared like many people that "it will get worse and at some point Venice will drown". A massive infrastructure project called MOSE has been underway since 2003 to protect the city, but it has been plagued by cost overruns, corruption scandals and delays.

The plan involves 78 gates that can be raised to protect Venice's lagoon during high tides -- but a recent attempt to test part of the barrier caused worrying vibrations and engineers discovered parts had rusted. "They've done nothing, neglected it. It doesn't work and they have stolen six billion euros. The politicians should all be put in jail," said local Dino Perzolla, 62.

St Mark's Square in one of the lowest parts of the city was particularly affected, its vestibule inundated with water. "It was apocalyptic, enough to give you goosebumps," said Marina Vector, as she and her husband used buckets to scoop water out of their shop selling Venetian festival masks. "The storm was so bad it broke the marble flood barrier out front. Nothing's survived," she said. Tables and chairs set out for aperitifs bobbed outside bedraggled luxury hotels, where people of all ages seeking safety from the storm late Tuesday had been forced to climb in through windows after gangways washed away. "I've never seen anything like it in my life. There was a terrifying wind, it was a hurricane. It was horrible," said local Cristina, as she fought back tears. - AFP