Rescuers search for missing people after landslide in Italy

• Heavy rains caused a huge landslide pull down everything in its path.
• Rescuers and emergency teams continue to work in difficult conditions.
• They are looking for missing people.

TRAGEDY IN ITALY. Rescuers and emergency teams continue to work in difficult conditions to search for more missing people after a landslide buried several families on the tourist island of Ischia in Italy.

On Saturday morning, the heavy rains caused a large landslide to drag down everything in its path. The powerful flow of mud overtook buildings, houses and cars on the Ischia island, south of Italy. Now there are at least 12 people missing.

Rescuers search for more missing people after landslide in Italy

On Sunday, the rescue work continued, for the second consecutive day, to find the people who were reported missing. On Saturday, authorities found the body of a woman under the mud.

The prefect of Naples, Claudio Palomba, confirmed at a press conference that they had found the first fatality. However, there are 11 more people reported missing, including some children, and it is feared that they have died, entombed by mud and debris.

Active rescue work

The mud and continuing rains have complicated the rescue work. «Mud and water tend to fill all the spaces,» Luca Cari, a spokesman for the Italian Fire Department, told RAI state television. “Our teams are looking with hope, even if it is very difficult,” he added.

In some spots, the mud can reach 20 feet (6 meters) in height, authorities said. “Our best hope is that the people reported missing have found refuge with family and friends and have not reported their whereabouts,” he said.

Confusion: Are there fatalities?

The situation has been really confusing. The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport initially confirmed that at least eight people had died, but the government itself immediately came out to deny this. «There are eight confirmed deaths after the landslide in Ischia,» said Matteo Salvini, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, in an interview with Clarin.

“There are rescuers who work in difficult conditions. You take care of yourself and protect yourself,” the official said. The Italian Interior Ministry later said there were actually no confirmed deaths. “At this precise moment, no deaths have been confirmed,” Matteo Piantedosi said.

The heaviest rains in 20 years

On Sunday, Claudio Palomba, prefect of Naples, not only confirmed the discovery of a body in the mud, but also indicated that they had an official number of 11 missing and that more than 160 people had been left homeless after the tragedy in the Casamicciola port.

The authorities detailed that, in a matter of six hours, the island got almost five inches of rain, the most intense downpour in 20 years. «We continue the search with a broken heart, because among the missing there are also children,» Giacomo Pascale, mayor of the neighboring city of Lacco Ameno, told RAI state television.