Heavy rainfall caused landslide on resort island of Ischia in Italy
Associated Press
On Ischia, a tourist destination in southern Italy, a massive landslide caused by heavy rain early on Saturday morning destroyed buildings and swept parked cars into the water, leaving at least one person dead and up to 12 people missing.
Claudio Palomba, the prefect of Naples, announced at a press conference that a woman’s body had been extracted from the muck.
Rescuers were cautiously sifting through six to seven meters (yards) of mud and debris while it continued to rain, using small bulldozers, in order to look for potential victims. Teams of sniffer dog teams joined the reinforcements that arrived by ferry to aid in the search operations.
The force of the mud sliding down the mountainside just before dawn was strong enough to send cars and buses onto beaches and into the sea at the port of Casamicciola, on the north end of the island, which lies off Naples.
Streets were impassable and mayors on the island urged people to stay home. At least 100 people were reported stranded without electricity and water, and about 70 were housed in a community gymnasium.
There was early confusion over the death toll. Vice Premier Matteo Salvini initially said that eight people had been confirmed dead, followed by the interior minister saying that no deaths had yet been confirmed, while 10 to 12 were missing.
“The situation is very complicated and very serious because probably some of those people are under the mud,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told RAI state TV from an emergency command center in Rome.
ANSA reported that at least 10 buildings had collapsed. One family with a newborn that was previously reported missing was located and was receiving medical care, according to the Naples prefect.
Video from the island showed small bulldozers clearing roads, while residents used hoses to try to get mud out of their homes. One man, identified as Benjamin Iacono, told Sky TG24 that mud overwhelmed three adjacent shops that he owns, completely wiping out his inventory. He estimated damage at 100,000 euros to 150,000 euros ($104,000 to $156,000).
Firefighters and the Coast Guard were conducting search and rescues, initially hampered by strong winds that prevented helicopters and boats from reaching the island.
The densely populated mountainous island is a popular tourist destination for both its beaches and spas. A 4.0-magnitude quake on the island in 2017 killed two people, causing significant damage to the towns of Casamicciola and neighboring Lacco Ameno. Palomba.
