Rescuers fought to reach 20 northern villages still isolated by floods Tuesday, but a break in the weather brought hope for Italians battered by torrential rains that killed at least 56 people.
Two days after the worst of the rains, scenes from Italy's north presented a devastated landscape. Overturned cars floated along mud-churned rivers, a TV set was lodged in a tree, a dead pig hung halfway out of a farm window.Rescue workers continued to find bodies, including an old woman in Alessandria still clutching a black leather purse containing a gold chain and watch, and the equivalent of about $1,900 in soaked lira notes, news reports said.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi, whose government was criticized for responding inadequately to the disaster, promised $260 million in immediate relief.
The Cabinet met in emergency session Tuesday.
Most devastated by the three-day deluge was the rich agricultural area of Piedmont, famed for its wine, truffles and Fiat cars.
Damage in Piedmont alone amounted to $3.5 billion, officials in the region bordering France said.
Civil defense authorities said 10 people were still unaccounted for around Cuneo, a city 20 miles northeast of the French border. Rescue workers were trying to reach 20 villages there. At least 50 towns were completely or partly without electricity.