The landslide caused on Saturday by heavy rains on the Italian island of Ischia (south) left 8 dead, according to a new official balance published yesterday Monday.
In addition, there are four missing people, indicated the prefecture of Naples, on which Casamicciola Terme depends, the town of 8,000 inhabitants where the tragedy occurred.
The government declared a state of emergency in Ischia in order to quickly mobilize means and funds for urgent interventions and the setting up of shelters.
More than 650 rescuers were sent to the island, located in the Bay of Naples, to help the victims of the landslide, which also left five injured and left 230 island residents homeless. The landslide was the result of several factors: deforestation, lack of maintenance and prevention, and massive urbanization.
The geologist Aniello Di Iorio, quoted this Monday by the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, warned that the situation continues to be dangerous and that “a good part of the northern slope of the island […] is still at risk”, including Casamicciola Terme.
The newspaper also quoted the former mayor of that town, Giuseppe Conte, who assures that he notified various administrations of the risk of landslides four days before the tragedy. “I wrote to the prefect of Naples, to the civil protection of Naples […] Nobody answered me,” he lamented.