Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi announced the loss of 12 people following a landslide Saturday on the island of Ischia off Naples, although so far no deaths have been confirmed.
Heavy rains caused a landslide in the early hours of yesterday morning in the town of Casamicciola Terme, in the north of the island, reports a local Arabic daily quoting AFP.
Earlier, Italian media reported that Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had recorded eight deaths, which the Interior Minister denied.
“At the moment, there are no confirmed deaths,” Piantedosi said, noting that the situation could change, stressing that 12 people are missing and trapped under the mud.
The local agencies “ANSA” and “Aghi” had reported this morning that the number of missing persons was 13.
The Aghi news agency quoted the local official in Naples, Claudio Palumba, as saying, “Nobody has been found at this time,” while the civil defense said that the mud “flooded a house” and swept cars into the sea, adding that it was looking for missing persons.
A car drifted into the sea with two people in it, but they were rescued, according to the same source.
And ANSA reported that at least 30 families are trapped in their homes due to mud in the absence of water and electricity, adding that the road leading to the neighborhood is cut off due to mudslides and debris.
Local authorities called on the island’s residents to stay home so as not to disrupt rescue operations.
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