Italy declares state of emergency following devastating landslide

AFP.COM, 27 NOV, 2022- Italy’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after a landslide on the southern island of Ischia killed at least one person and left a dozen missing.

Italian rescuers were searching for a dozen missing people on the southern island of Ischia on Sunday after a landslide killed at least one and the government declared a state of emergency.

A wave of mud and debris crashed through the small town of Casamicciola Terme on Saturday morning, engulfing at least one house and sweeping cars down to the sea, local media and emergency services said.

A first tranche of two million euros ($2 million) of relief funds was released at the end of an emergency cabinet meeting which declared the state of emergency, said Minister for Civil Protection Nello Musumeci.

More than 200 rescuers were still searching for a dozen missing people, while hundreds of volunteers and others, up to their knees in mud, were busy cleaning the town’s streets.

Rescuers had recovered the body of a 31-yearold woman, according to Italian news agency AGI, with other local media reporting 13 people had been injured.

The rescue effort was hampered by rain and high winds, which also delayed ferries bringing reinforcements from the mainland.