On the Italian island of Ischia, two more were found dead on Sunday as a result of the landslide that occurred the day before. Emergency services are still looking for eleven missing people.
For some time on Saturday it was unclear how many deaths the landslide had caused. Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini soon reported that eight people had died. His interior colleague Matteo Piantedosi later said that no deaths had yet been confirmed.
At least three people are now known to have died. It concerns a 31-year-old woman, a five- or six-year-old girl and an elderly woman. Thirteen other people were injured.
Rescuers worked through the night, but mudslides and strong winds made the island difficult to access. Emergency services use drones to find the missing.
The Italian government declares a state of emergency
At least ten buildings collapsed and hundreds of people were trapped. Two hundred other people were advised to evacuate because there was a risk of collapse in their area too.
The government in Rome declared a state of emergency for Ischia on Sunday. This was necessary to release money for the damages suffered. Initially, €2 million was made available for emergency aid and clean-up work.
Small but densely populated Ischia is located off the coast of Naples. The landslide was triggered by sudden heavy rainfall near the municipality of Casamicciola.
