(ANSA) - Rome, October 29 - Six regions are on red alert due to a wave of storms, torrential rain and gales that is battering Italy.

The regions on maximum alert are Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Trentino-Alto Adige and Abruzzo, with gusts of wind reaching 100km/h in some cases. Schools in many cities, including Rome, are closed on Monday due to the extreme weather. The highway and railway at the Brenner Pass have reopened after being closed late on Sunday due to a landslide in the area of the Italian-Austrian border.

The pass between Italy and Switzerland at Sempione, however, has been closed.

At the weekend a businessman and three workers were killed in a landslide while doing emergency work on a sewer system in the Crotone area after bad weather there.

