Eleven people are unaccounted for after mud swept away homes and cars on the island of Ischia.
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Rescue teams in Italy are still searching for missing people after a massive mudslide on the island of Ischia, near Naples, destroyed homes and dragged cars into the sea.
Two people have been confirmed dead. Eleven others remain unaccounted for.
More than 100 firefighters, as well as divers and earthmoving units, have been deployed to Ischia, Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said.
The landslide came following days of relentless rain in southern Italy.
Two days later, destroyed cars can be seen piled on top of each other having been crushed by the force of the landslide.
Workers have arrived in diggers and begun trying to clear the streets strewn with debris and mud. But the damage appears to be significant.
Image source, Ciro de Luca/Reuters
Like nearby Capri, Ischia, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a popular holiday destination for tourists and Italians alike. It featured in the popular book series Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante and was the backdrop to the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley.
A key issue on the island, though, is that around half the houses are built illegally – and so cannot withstand the force of landslides and earthquakes.
Mr Piantedosi told Italy’s La Stampa newspaper that the situation was “very serious and complicated”.
He said a damage assessment would come later, but insisted the government would “not fail to provide the necessary support to the island’s population”.
It has approved a state of emergency, allocating an initial sum of €2m (£1.7m) to help rebuild homes.
Authorities say they have recovered the bodies of two people so far – a woman in her 30s and a child of five or six.
Authorities have urged residents to stay home to avoid hindering emergency services in their efforts.
Up to 155mm (6.1in) of rain fell on Ischia over the course of six hours, causing the landslide early on Saturday.
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The torrent of mud dislodged trees, engulfed buildings and swept away cars and people’s homes.
Heavy rains have battered Campania, the region surrounding Naples and Ischia, for several days.
On Thursday, two people were killed due to bad weather in the region. An Argentine tourist drowned after being swept into the sea during a coastal storm, while a man was struck by lightning on a beach.
