Terrifying Video Shows Woman's Attempt To Flee Deadly Wildfire In Italy's Sicily

Extreme weather has been battering Italy. Wildfires are raging across Sicily after weeks of record-breaking temperatures. Now, a video has surfaced on social media which shows a wall of flames lashing over the edge of the highway.

The now-viral video shows a wildfire burning metres away from a car driving on an Italy highway. A driver is shown driving through the wildfire.

Watch the video here:

Extremely dangerous situation in Sicily. Wildfire burning close to cars driving on the highway. pic.twitter.com/jvDiXT0F8g

— Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) July 26, 2023

Italy's southern island of Sicily has been devastated by wildfires that have killed three elderly people, its regional president said, as a heatwave and severe storms further north took a heavy toll, Reuters reported.

The charred bodies of a couple in their 70s were found in their burnt-out home on the outskirts of Palermo, the regional capital, according to Italian media reports.

Another woman in her late 80s died in the Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to fires in the area.

In an overnight message on Facebook, Sicilian President Renato Schifani said "scorching heat and unprecedented devastating fires" had turned Tuesday into "one of the most difficult days in decades".

Sicily is a major tourist destination but a fire inside a terminal building last week caused the near-total closure of its biggest airport in Catania on the east of the island. Palermo airport was also closed for a few hours on Tuesday because of a wildfire nearby.