Italian Leader Meloni to Leave G-7 Early to Deal With Floods

(Bloomberg) -- Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni will leave the Group of Seven summit in Japan a day early to help the response to devastating floods, according to people familiar with the situation.

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Floods in the northern Emilia-Romagna region have killed more than a dozen people and displaced about 10,000 others last week, Ansa news agency reported. Rescue workers were trying to reach dozens of villages and farms cut off by the deluge, with some 20,000 people without power in the area.

An Italian government spokesperson declined to comment.

In addition to attending a regular slate of G-7 meetings on Saturday, Meloni held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to officials, and later chatted with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who made an unannounced visit to the forum.

Read more: Flood Disaster Could Cost Italy €1.5 Billion in Damage to Crops

Emilia-Romagna — crossed by the Po, the country’s largest river and its subsidiaries — is the Italian region most exposed to potential flood damages, according to a Bank of Italy study.

--With assistance from Annmarie Hordern and Samy Adghirni.

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