A 60-year-old man was rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital with serious injuries. A couple with a newborn baby was found alive. Two people were pulled out alive from their car. Several families remain isolated, and authorities have reported dozens of collapsed buildings. Countless cars and minibuses parked in the open sea were broken into. People missing at sea are also being searched for.
200 people had to leave their homes for safety reasons. Hotel owners and restaurant operators offered to secure accommodation and food for the people. Schools and gyms should house the homeless.
“There are some difficulties in the rescue work because the weather conditions are still bad,” Italian Interior Minister Matteo Biantidossi said. Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini had said earlier that eight people had died in the landslide.
Traffic was blocked on many streets
The island’s port, known for its thermal baths, was initially closed. Traffic was disrupted on many of the island’s roads and rescue workers struggled to reach the areas hardest hit by the floods. Since some homes can only be accessed via narrow streets, rescue workers have not yet been able to examine all of the buildings and determine the actual extent of the damage.
The authorities asked residents not to leave their homes so as not to impede rescue work. The authorities from Naples sent more reinforcements to the popular Mediterranean holiday island from the mainland. The mayor of Ischia, Enzo Ferrandino, spoke of a tragedy and asked for help.
Television footage and video from the fire department showed completely wrecked cars, mud-covered roads, debris carried away and up a slope that appeared to have been caused by the landslide earlier. Several people are stuck in a hotel without electricity. A video went viral on Twitter showing a man drowning in mud in a building in the dark.
Landslide on the Italian island of Ischia
Landslides occurred on the Italian island of Ischia after a severe storm.
Families trapped in homes
According to media reports, some families have been locked in their homes. “I am still trying to contact some people who have reported missing, but unfortunately I have not received an answer yet,” said Gino Ballerano, parish priest of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Casamicola. The diocese of Ischia mobilized Caritas for first aid. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the rescue workers for their work and also announced their official residence in Rome.
Severe weather
Although individual extreme events cannot be traced directly to a specific cause, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is clear that extreme weather events such as floods, storms, and heat are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of the climate crisis. That means rain and storms are getting heavier, heat waves are getting hotter and droughts are getting drier.
She is in contact with the local authorities. On Friday, the mayor of Ischia ordered the closure of schools, parks and cemeteries for Saturday due to the declared storm.
Ischia is the largest island in the Gulf of Naples, which also includes Capri and Procida. The 46 square kilometer volcanic island has a population of 62,000 and is divided into six municipalities.
2017 earthquake in Casamicciola Terme
In 2017, Casamicciola Terme, a resort town of about 8,000 residents, was hit by an earthquake that killed two people. In a landslide in 2009, a 13-year-old tore into the sea, and dozens were injured. At the end of the nineteenth century, Casamicciola Terme was completely destroyed by a strong earthquake.
Meanwhile, severe storms raged in other parts of central and southern Italy on Saturday: there was flooding in Venice on Friday.
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