Rome, Dec 24 (IANS): A 45-year-old woman died and another was hospitalised after being struck by a fallen tree amid strong gales in Italy, local authorities confirmed.

The incident occurred in a park near a children's playground in eastern Rome on Monday, state-run Rai News 24 reported. Rome's prosecution office has opened an involuntary manslaughter investigation.

In a separate incident in Ancona, central Italy, strong winds reaching up to 100 kilometres per hour toppled a tree onto three empty buses parked nearby, the local emergency center said.

Eight Italian regions remain under a yellow alert for potential disruption due to extreme weather, according to the national Civil Protection warning system. The agency highlighted hydrogeological and wind risks across regions including central Abruzzo, southern Calabria, and Sicily, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, regional authorities in northern Lombardy issued an orange alert for Milan, warning of similar risks on Monday and Tuesday.

The Italian Department of Civil Protection, along with regional authorities, has issued warnings for severe weather, particularly foreseeing gale-force winds and potential flooding.

The alerts predominantly affect the Marche region, where yellow weather warnings have been corroborated by predictions of strong winds from the north reaching gusts of 76-87 km/h. The department has cautioned residents about possible coastal flooding as localized waves could pose significant risks along the shoreline.

Severe weather, including possible hydrogeological issues and flooding, has prompted the Department of Civil Protection to extend yellow alerts to central and southern Italy, particularly for the areas impacted by the floods of the Secchia and Reno rivers.

The adverse weather also impacted the coasts of central Molise, where heavy rainfall and a sharp drop in temperatures were reported. Ferry services to the Tremiti Islands were suspended due to rough seas.