At least twelve people are missing after a landslide that has swept away dozens of homes on the Italian island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, while the government is still waiting to verify the number of fatalities.
The most affected place has been the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, which ended up half submerged during the night due to torrential rains.
Although the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, has estimated that the landslide has left at least eight dead, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, has refrained from giving a concrete figure until the rescue work has progressed a little further.
«The operations are running with difficulty because the weather conditions are very demanding. I am in close contact with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and my fellow ministers. We are facing a very serious situation, and evolving,» according to statements by Piantedosi reported by ‘Il Messaggero’.
The Prefect of Naples, Claudio Palomba, has also declined to give reports of deaths, although he has confirmed the number of missing persons. On a positive note, in the last few hours a family and a newborn baby, who were thought to be missing, have been found and are now receiving medical treatment.
