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ROME, Feb. 23-- Four people died and several were injured as gale-force winds whipped through central and southern Italy, uprooting trees, ripping roofs off buildings, and causing a merchant ship to run aground, rescue services reported on Saturday. In the central Lazio region whose capital is Rome, a collapsing wall killed two people and injured one, while a third person was crushed to death when a tree fell on his car, firefighters tweeted. Near Rome, a 14-year-old boy was crushed to death when his father fell on top of him after being blown off a ladder while trying to repair a roof which damaged by the wind, Italian news agency ANSA reported. In Rome, traffic was snarled when trees fell across streets in various locations across the city, including one that fell on a taxi and ripped the cables off an electrical pole. No one was reported injured, ANSA said, while the Colosseum Archeological Park was shut down "due to strong winds", authorities tweeted. Three people were hurt when the wind ripped a metal roof off a gym in the southern region of Sicily, firefighters said on Twitter, adding that as of late Saturday afternoon, they had carried out 1,500 interventions across Italy due to adverse weather and high winds. In the Puglia region in the heel of Italy's boot, a Turkish merchant ship ran aground due to high winds. The Coast Guard posted helicopter video footage showing the vessel stuck within sight of the beach and being battered by waves, saying there appear to be no toxic spills in the surrounding water. | 
