Video Source: YouTube/ John Sale

At least three people have died as heavy rains continued to hit central and southern Italy three days now. The heavy rains and floods have not only caused deaths but also power cuts, road obstructions and other damages.

Confirmed dead were two women and a seven-year-old girl believed to have been stuck in their car as it got swept along by waters of the floods. They have yet to be identified.

The Rome Jewish community are currently racing against time to protect the Spanish Synagogue and the Rome Jewish Museum from the swollen Tiber River. Volunteers have worked to place sandbags and protective sheets to prevent water coming in at both institutions which are located below street level.

"There was a risk that manholes would explode or even that the Tiber would burst its banks," Fabio Perugia, community spokesman, told the Rome Jewish community news site.

The institutions hold a number of valuable relics, "important items such as manuscripts from 1300 and precious vestments."

Weather experts have said more rains could be expected in the coming days and could worsen already dangerous conditions.

The Tiber river has already overflowed in several areas.

The floods have created widespread damage such as the large crater found in the town of Capena near Rome.

Prensa Latina reported the existing weather conditions have affected other European countries. Heavy snowfalls in Slovenia have caused power cuts, leaving 10 per cent of the total population without electricity.