A quarter of Venice has been submerged by a near-record high tide for June, at a time of year when such flooding is rare.

The lagoon city's iconic St Mark's Square was pictured underwater on Thursday night, as a handful of visitors splashed about in the rain.

The flooding comes just two days after Italy reopened its borders to tourists in an attempt to salvage its summer season following coronavirus lockdown.

It also comes after Venice was hit by flooding three times last year - twice in November and once in December - causing billions in damage.

Italy, like most European countries, are desperately trying to restart their lucrative tourism industries even amidst the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to save jobs.

Officials in Venice said the water level reached 116cm - 3ft 10ins - late Thursday, the third-highest mark for June. That level indicates that around a quarter of Venice has been flooded.

Venice's sea monitoring agency blamed the unusually high late spring tide on a storm in the Atlantic that brought heavy winds and rain to northern Italy. Another unseasonably high tide is expected on Friday night.

The highest June high tide was registered in 2002, when the water mark hit 121 centimetres, followed by 117 centimetres in June of 2016.

Venice authorities on Friday did not put out pedestrian bridges, which are usually only used in the peak 'acqua alta' season from September to April.

Venice and the rest of Italy are still closed to cruise ships but Italy relaxed travel restrictions for Italians and most Europeans on Wednesday

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8391945/Quarter-Venice-flooded-just-two-days-Italy-reopened-tourists.html

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8391945/Quarter-Venice-flooded-just-two-days-Italy-reopened-tourists.html

This isn't submerged nahhhh...

Abi we don't know the difinition of submerged again. That just a city shallowly flooded . If you said submerged,that means the water swallowed the city up.

Last last simple English no simple at all.

Italy has suffered this year! From coronavirus to flooding. Who did they offend?

Strange things happening all tilting towards the end of the.. ...world.

op its flooded not submerged.the only natural disasters we have in Nigeria now is bubu,police force,NEPA and access bank(does idiots keep deducting my money anyhow).

2020 be gone already, we are tired of you.

I don kukuma accept say 2020 na only 3 months e carry.

It is well and we still thank God for life.

samincredible44:
op its flooded not submerged.the only natural disasters we have in Nigeria now is bubu,police force,NEPA and access bank(does idiots keep deducting my money anyhow).

Try UBA, they can deduct sm1s destiny.

I do t even know what to type anymore...

Fear don catch me self, i want vist there soon.

VENICE is known for such.

every country with their own problem.

Where are the pastors that prophesied that 2020 is our year ??

Only if Aba were to be like this after the rains

Venice is a failed experiment, sewage goes directly into the canals. That place smells like Iwaya in Lagos.

G