One dead and missing in a landslide on an Italian island
A woman was killed and a number of people are still missing after heavy rains caused a landslide on the Italian island of Ischia on Saturday, a local official said.
A wave of mud and debris swept through the small town of Casamicciola Terme early Saturday, submerging a house, sweeping cars and cars into the sea, according to media reports and emergency services.
Naples Governor Claudio Palomba told a press conference that the first victim was a woman whose body was found by rescuers.
He added that a number of people who had been declared missing earlier were found safe, including a family with a baby.
But as of mid-afternoon, about ten people were still missing.
Rescue efforts were hampered by persistent rain and strong winds, which also delayed the arrival of ferries with reinforcements from the mainland.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Bentedosi had confirmed earlier that a number of people were trapped under the mud, saying that the situation was "very dangerous".
However, he denied statements made by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, Minister of Infrastructure, in which he confirmed the death of eight people, saying that the matter had not been confirmed.
Heavy rains caused torrents and mud that swept the streets of the town of Casamicciola Terme, north of Ischia, the picturesque island near Capri that is popular with tourists in the summer.
Trees were uprooted and cars were scattered on the side of roads or in the water, according to pictures published by the emergency services and local media.
The fire brigade had said earlier that a house had been flooded with mud, adding that two people had been rescued from a car that had been swept into the sea.
In the worst affected area of Casamicciola Terme, at least 30 families were trapped in their homes without water or electricity, while mud and rubble blocked the road leading to the neighborhood, according to the ANSA news agency.
"Rescue efforts continue to be complicated by weather conditions," the Civil Protection Authority said.
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