TERRIFYING footage shows flash floods ripping through towns in northwestern Italy.

Franco Chiaffrino, a 70-year-old fruit seller, was killed after he was hit by a torrent of water while getting out of his van, local media reported.

Shocking videos show churning black water surging down the Frejus – a tunnel connecting France and Italy.

Torrential rain caused the waterway to break its banks, unleashing a violent flood across the region.

Rescuers are seen looking on helplessly as entire streets are submerged in the muddy floodwaters.

Residents were warned by the mayor to stay in their homes and avoid driving.

Franco was killed in Bardonecchia – a resort town 56 miles west of Turin, which hosted snowboarding events during the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Firefighters rescued at least 10 people trapped in buildings by the floods, along with a few people stuck in their cars, local media reported.

Alberto Cirio, the President of the Piedmont Region, commented on social media: “Today, a sudden deluge struck the town of Bardonecchia, resulting in damage and, regrettably, a fatality.”

He continued: “We are increasingly encountering emergency scenarios due to weather events that were once considered rare but are now becoming more common.”

A similar disaster struck Bardonecchia in 2023 after heavy rains caused two streams – including the Frejus – to overflow.

Although a major landslide swept away cars and debris, no fatalities were reported.

The intense rainfall in northwestern Italy is occurring amidst a period of extreme weather sweeping across much of Europe, ranging from severe storms in central regions to intense heatwaves in the Mediterranean.

In France, at least two people – including a child – died after a violent storm caused flash floods in Paris last week.

According to Lightning Maps, a weather-tracking website, more than 39,000 lightning strikes were recorded across France.

Over 100,000 homes were left in the dark after power lines were ripped down and metro stations were turned into indoor rivers.

Heavy storms also swept across large parts of Germany over the weekend, hitting regions including Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

Lightning strikes also caused fires, including one at a horse farm in Keltern, German Bavarian newspaper Münchner Merkur reports.

In Austria, a supercell storm whipped through towns, shattering windows, flooding streets and causing nearly £8m worth of damage to agriculture.

The hardest-hit regions were reportedly Styria, Tyrol, and Lower Austria.

Meanwhile, Greece, Spain and Italy are in the grip of a heatwave, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

Wildfires raged for three days on the Greek island of Chios last week – before being brought under control on Thursday.

Another wildfire broke out that same day on coastal area of Palaia Fokaia, south of Athens.

In Italy, a motorway had to be closed on Thursday after temperatures caused roads to melt, local media reported.

A freak build-up of heat in the North Atlantic is believed to be driving the unusually high temperatures sweeping across Europe – well above the seasonal average.

Scientists say that climate change is fuelling extreme weather events.