Heavy rainfall triggered a massive landslide early Saturday on the southern Italian resort island of Ischia that destroyed buildings and swept parked cars into the sea, leaving at least one person dead and up to 12 missings. The body of a woman was pulled from the mud, the Naples prefect Claudio Palomba, told a news conference.
With rain continuing to fall, rescuers were working gingerly with small bulldozers to pick through mud and detritus seven yards deep in some places in the search for possible victims. Reinforcements arrived by ferry, including teams of sniffer dogs to help the search efforts.
The force of the mud sliding down the mountainside just before dawn was strong enough to send cars and buses onto beaches and into the sea at the port of Casamicciola, on the north end of the island, which lies off Naples.
The island received nearly five inches of rain in six hours, the heaviest rainfall in 20 years, according to officials. Streets were impassable and mayors on the island urged people to stay home. At least 100 people were reported stranded without electricity and water, and about 70 were housed in a community gymnasium.
There was early confusion over the death toll. Vice Premier Matteo Salvini initially said that eight people had been confirmed dead, followed by the interior minister saying that no deaths had yet been confirmed, while 10 to 12 were missing.
"The situation is very complicated and very serious because probably some of those people are under the mud," Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told RAI state TV from an emergency command center in Rome. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that at least 10 buildings had collapsed. One family with a newborn that was previously reported missing was located and was receiving medical care, according to the Naples perfect.
source(CBSnews)