Seven people were murdered in storms in Italy.

Authorities said on Friday that at least seven people were killed when strong storms swept through central Italy, flooding roads and homes.

Three persons were reported missing, including a six-year-old child in a car. The mother was saved, but the infant was washed away by floodwaters, according to the AGI news agency.

"The preliminary death toll is seven, according to the local prefecture." "The seventh body has now been discovered," a civil protection agency spokesperson said, corroborating local media accounts.

Ancona, a port city on the Adriatic, was the most hit, with several regions without power or phone service. Schools in the impacted areas were closed on Friday.

Storms also pounded neighbouring Umbria.

According to the Corriere della Sera daily, 400 millimetres (16 inches) of rain poured in two hours – roughly the amount generally recorded in this zone in six months.