Venice underwater as exceptional tide sweeps through canal city

VENICE, Italy - Venice was hit by the highest tide in more than 50 years on Tuesday, with tourists wading through flooded streets to seek shelter as a fierce wind whipped up waves in St Mark's Square.

The exceptionally intense "acqua alta", or "high waters", peaked at 1.87 meters as the flood alarm sounded across the Italian city of canals, the tide monitoring center said.

"We're currently facing an exceptionally high tide. Everyone has been mobilized to cope with the emergency," Venice's Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted.