At least one woman has died, thirteen other people have been injured, one seriously, and twelve others are missing following a landslide that has swept away dozens of homes on the Italian island of Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples, according to the latest balance sheet provided by the Neapolitan prefect, Claudio Palomba.
The most affected place has been the municipality of Casamicciola Terme, which ended up half submerged during the night by the torrential rains, which have left at least 130 people displaced.
Although the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, estimated that the landslide has left at least eight people dead, both Palomba and the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, refrained from giving a concrete figure until further progress is made in the rescue work.
«There is currently one confirmed death, a woman. Eight people have been found missing, including a child, and we still have a dozen unaccounted for,» Palombo lamented at a press conference. The death has also been confirmed by the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi.
For his part, Piantedosi confirmed that «operations are proceeding 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 it is evolving,» he added in statements reported by ‘Il Messaggero’.
On a positive note, in the last few hours a family with a newborn baby who had been presumed lost has been found and are now receiving medical treatment.
The National Fire Brigade’s rescue team has reported that there are now a total of 100 personnel with 40 vehicles dedicated to the rescue of the population and in search operations for missing persons.
