At least one person was killed and nearly a dozen were missing Saturday on the southern Italian island of Ischia, where heavy rains caused landslides that engulfed streets, vehicles and homes, leaving hundreds without electricity or water.
Authorities say a woman in the town of Casamicciola, north of Ischia, died in the landslide and they estimate 10 people are missing. They declined to give any further details as rescue operations continued on Ischia, a volcanic island and popular tourist destination off the coast of Naples.
As the inclement weather persisted on Saturday, emergency workers’ attempts to reach the island by motorboat and helicopter were stalled, but at least 70 firefighters and 44 doctors managed to arrive. by aircraft and naval equipment, according to the National Fire Service and National Fire Service. The prefect of Naples, Claudio Palomba.
“We would like to thank all the rescuers who, in extremely difficult conditions, despite the danger of their lives, managed to land on the island today,” said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, at a press conference in Naples.
Mr. Palomba said at least 70 residents had been evacuated from their homes. Rescue operations are expected to continue into the night.
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“The time of night is coming,” said Fabrizio Curcio, head of Italy’s Civil Protection Agency. “This is not going to make our job any easier. Today was especially difficult because of the weather and sea conditions.”
Footage on Italian television showed some of Ischia’s winding mountain roads becoming rivers of mud and debris. In a widely circulated videoLifeguards in Casamicciola could be heard trying to reassure a man, who was covered in mud and floating outside his home, that they would come to his rescue as he gripped the door. flash.
“Don’t move,” one lifeguard shouted. “We’ll contact you in two minutes.”
Rescuers elsewhere in town rescued two people who were dragged in their cars into the sea when the landslide struck, the Italian fire service said in a statement. It added that the search for victims in the affected residential buildings is continuing.
In colloquial Italian, Casamicciola is synonymous with disaster. In particular, the northern part of Ischia has experienced natural disasters for centuries.
In 1883, a strong earthquake killed more than 2,000 people in the area. In 1910, a flood and landslide killed 11 people in Casamicciola. And more recently, in 2017, a smaller earthquake killed two women and injured 42 in Casamicciola and in a nearby town, Lacco Ameno.
Michele Buonomo, an official with the Italian environmental association Legambiente, who was in charge of the area, said: “Ischia is a very fragile territory – it is a volcanic formation that has consumed wild land and built at all costs for decades. of Campania, where the city of Naples is located. “Such conditions further jeopardize a region that is already very vulnerable.”
“Heavy rains like today are becoming more and more frequent,” he said. “And so climate change will only exacerbate the high hydrological risks that some regions in Italy like Ischia already have.”
Italy’s National Research Council noted Saturday that from midnight to 6 a.m., local rain gauges recorded 126 millimeters of rain, or nearly 5 inches, “an unprecedented figure.” achieved in such a period of time.” The council said it has tracked rainfall for the past 20 years and records show the severity of the event.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Saturday that she was in touch with the civil protection minister, Nello Musumeci; People’s Protection Department; and the Campania regional government “monitors the evolution of the wave of bad weather that has hit Ischia.”
“The government expresses its closeness to the people and mayors of the cities on the island of Ischia and thanks the rescuers who have joined the search for the missing,” Ms. Meloni said in a statement.
