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Venice has been plunged under water after the lagoon city was hit with the highest tide in over 50 years —998 Archivesthe mayor has directly blamed climate change.

Over 85 percent of the city is flooded, according to authorities, and St Mark's Square — one of the lowest areas in Venice — is one of the worst hit zones. The historic St Mark's basilica is flooded for the sixth time in 1,200 years, per the BBC citing church records.

On Tuesday night, the high waters — or aqua alta —reached 1.87 metres, the second highest level since records began in 1923. Only once has the tide reached a high of 1.94 metres in 1966.

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The mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, declared a state of emergency and called the flood "the result of climate change". Brugnaro stated on Twitter that the flooding is "a wound that will leave indelible signs" and urged the government to help.

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Italian newspaper La Stampareported that two people had died overnight as a result of the flooding.

SEE ALSO: Dramatic photos show the worst flood to hit Venice in 10 years

"We are faced with total, apocalyptic devastation," the governor of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, told Mediaset television, describing the city as "on its knees."

"The art, the basilica, the shops and the homes, a disaster...Venice is bracing itself for the next high tide," Zaia added, per the Guardian.

Tourists using water taxis had to climb through hotel windows after gangways were washed away.

Dramatic photos of the flooding show tourists attempting to go about the city despite the flood conditions.

People take selfie photos at the flooded St. Mark's square by St. Mark's Basilica on Nov. 13 2019. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images A tourist takes a photo from the flooded embankment by the Rialto Bridge. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images The flooded embankment by the Hotel Rialto and water taxis on the Grand Canal channel, as seen from the Rialto Bridge. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images A man wades through the flooded St. Mark's Square. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images People use a makeshift footbridge to exit a flooded hotel. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Image A woman walks her dog through a flooded street in Venice. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images People take photos from an arcade of the flooded St. Mark's square with St. Mark's Basilica and the Bell Tower in the background. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images The flooded crypt of St. Mark's Basilica. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images The Doge's Palace overlooking the flooded St. Mark's Square. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES People walk across the flooded St. Mark's Square past St. Mark's Basilica. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images A stranded taxi boat is pictured in an alleyway late on November 12, 2019 in Venice. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Image Inside the flooded St. Mark's Basilica. Credit: Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images People walk on a footbridge across a flooded street. Credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

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