"It's the first time this year that the waters have reached such a height," the statement said, adding that 15 percent of the historic center was submerged.

Tourists in Saint Mark's Square took off their shoes and rolled up their trouser legs to cope with the flooding, blamed on a combination of natural tides, a weather disturbance originating in the Atlantic Ocean that caused winds over the Adriatic and a drop in atmospheric pressure.

In worse-hit areas, people made their way along narrow raised walkways.

The flood center used a new SMS alert system for the first time, in addition to the usual sirens and loud-speaker announcements, to warn the public of the rising waters.

Some 50,000 people who subscribed to the service were kept apprised of the state of flooding on their cell phones.

The highest "aqua alta" on record in the Renaissance canal city was on November 4, 1966, when the waters reached 1.94 meters amid severe flooding throughout Italy.

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