Italy: SpaceX-Unipol union to help flood victims

MILAN (Reuters) – Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Unipol Grupo have agreed to join forces to help flood-affected people in northern Italy connect to the internet, which will ease operations, the Italian insurer said on Saturday. Said.

Torrential rain has ravaged the eastern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, killing 14 people, causing billions of euros in damage and particularly damaging the agricultural sector.

About 36,000 people have been forced from their homes and many of those who remain in flooded areas do not have electricity. Relief operations are still being hampered by bad weather and disrupted telephone connections.

As part of their deal, Unipol has acquired Starlink satellite internet terminals from SpaceX and will make them available to rescuers, hospitals and the public. SpaceX is positioning its satellites to prioritize the Emilia-Romagna region and improve coverage.

“SpaceX, Starlink and Tesla are delighted to be able to help Italy and the people affected by the floods,” Elon Musk said in a statement.

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, French edition Benjamin Mallet)