Vita gazette – Six bodies were found in the aftermath of the tragedy that struck the island, bringing the total death toll to seven. Among them a newborn baby, a five-six-year-old girl, and an elderly woman. The search for the five missing persons continues unabated. The CDM allocates 5 million for the state of emergency, which will last a year, and appoints commissioner.

230 displaced people

Seven confirmed dead and the search for the missing continues after Saturday’s disaster in Ischia. Six other lifeless bodies were recovered after the landslide that hit Casamicciola on Saturday 26 November. It concerns a newborn baby, a five-six-year-old girl, an elderly woman and three other unidentified people. the overall toll thus rises to seven dead. The rescuers would have identified other bodies that they would not have yet been able to free from the mud, while the search for the five missing people continues. There are about 230 displaced people: all have been accommodated in hotels or with friends and relatives. Five injured, including one seriously, and 30 homes affected.

State of emergency

The Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the Minister for Civil Protection, declared a state of emergency which will be followed by the order of the head of civil protection and has made an initial allocation of 2 million euros”. This was announced by the minister for the South, Nello Musumeci. The state of emergency will last for a year. Simonetta Calcaterra appointed commissioner for the management of the emergency which will last a year.

Severe weather alert

Schools closed in Ischia tomorrow and the day after. Orange alert for bad weather today in Campania, Calabria, and Sicily, yellow in Basilicata.

Deforestation and cementification

The same hamlet was hit by a landslide in 2009, when a 14-year-old girl died, and damaged again by an earthquake in 2017. Dozens of homes were destroyed, trees uprooted and cars swept into the sea in the latest tragedy. The storm, which followed days of heavy rain across much of Italy, is reported to be the worst in 20 years to have hit Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, with 126mm of rain falling in six hours.

Casamicciola Terme is home to just over 2,000 people and lies in an area of the island – known for its natural hot springs and popular with Italian and foreign tourists – that is extremely vulnerable to landslides and seismic activity. Seventy-two landslides were registered to have occurred in the hamlet between 2018 and 2021. The number of illegally built homes and other buildings – estimated at 28,000 across the island – has been blamed for exacerbating the damage. Seismic activity plays a part, but on top of the natural aspects -deforestation and subsequent cementification – this reduced the capacity for water to be absorbed, enabling it to rapidly reach roads and homes, causing extreme damage. They’ve been giving permits to people to effectively build illegally since the 1920s.

Negligence!

Experts in the region stated that the lack of geological map and planning accordingly for 20 years, in other words negligence, also caused this disaster.