Venice floods put more than half of city underwater

Venice is in the middle of its worst floods in years, after heavy rains and a storm surge.

The “acqua alta” can be a yearly occurrence, when high tides coincide with winter winds. Here, tourists kayak across St Mark’s Square in November 2011.

MARCO SABADIN

Water levels rose as much as 5ft above average yesterday, which makes it the city's sixth-worst flood on record.