Italy Confirms One Dead and Several Missing After Landslide

The Italian Government confirmed Saturday the death of one person and several missing after heavy floods and mudslides occurred on the Italian island of Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples.

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At a press conference, the government delegate in Naples, Claudio Palomba, indicated that the provisional balance remains at one dead and "a dozen" missing.

According to reports, the island suffered torrential rains that caused floods and a serious landslide that violently dragged everything in its path from the surrounding mountains in the municipality of Casamicciola and neighboring sectors.

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Almost all the residents of the area are trapped in their homes and without electricity, "there are 20 to 30 isolated families and a dozen collapsed buildings," the mayor of the municipality of Lacco Ameno, Giacomo Pascale, told the media.

Among the missing were three members of a family, including a minor, and a 25-year-old foreign student, according to local media, but they were located hours later.

Presumably, those affected were in the houses flooded by the mud coming from the mountain slopes, although there is talk of cars being swept out to sea.

Emergency teams are working at the scene, supported by rescue units from Naples and other nearby cities.

Social networks show scenes of disaster, with cars overturned, buried, and entire neighborhoods impacted by rocks and uprooted trees.

Local authorities called on citizens to stay indoors and not to move because of the danger still posed by adverse weather conditions and the severe damage caused by the rains.

The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, has ordered the immediate intervention of aircraft and Armed Forces personnel to support relief efforts. If necessary, land and naval means will also be sent to the places affected by the landslide.