DailyExpertNews
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One person has been killed and ten others are missing after torrential rain caused a landslide on the Italian holiday island of Ischia on Saturday.
By Sunday morning, eight people had been rescued and 209 evacuated from the area where the landslide occurred, the Campania prefecture’s office told DailyExpertNews.
Search and rescue operations were underway in the small town of Casamicciola Terme and reinforcements were being sent from Naples, the Italian fire service said, but weather conditions complicated the search, Italy’s Civil Protection Department told DailyExpertNews on Saturday.
The operations were coordinated by the Prefecture of Naples, authorities told DailyExpertNews. Seventy firefighters are currently on the island to assist with search and rescue efforts, the Italian fire service said in a tweet.
Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples, was hit by torrential rain early Saturday, damaging cars, buildings and roads.
Videos and images shared by local and national authorities earlier today showed the devastation in the port city of Casamicciola Terme.
“It is a time of pain and great need,” said Vincenzo De Luca, governor of the Campania region where the island is located, on Saturday, thanking Italian Prime Minister Meloni for her close contact and message of solidarity.
Meloni said on Twitter that she was in touch with local authorities, expressing solidarity with residents and thanking the rescue services.
Ischia mayor Enzo Ferrandino described the incident as a “tragedy” and urged people not to leave their homes, ANSA news agency reported.
In February 2021, a landslide on the Italian coast near Genoa caused a cemetery to collapse, sending hundreds of coffins falling into the sea.