______ have died in the flood.

Rescue workers say at least fifty-one people have died in severe flooding in the northwest part of the country. Officials say many more people are missing. As much as sixty centimeters of rain have fallen in Italy during the past three days. Flooding has destroyed electric power lines and cut rail and road traffic. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has rejected charges that the national and local government did not do enough to aid victims of the floods. He is to head an emergency team to plan aid measures.