It is of a dead woman, 11 missing and thirteen injured the provisional balance of the tragedy that struck yesterday the island of Ischia, where a very violent storm caused a big one landslide in Casamicciola. The landslide, in turn, caused a huge mudslide and boulders, which collapsed several buildings and severely damaged others.
Rescuers working all night
The victim's name was Eleonora Sirabella, she was 31 years old. She lived with her partner, still missing, in the Rarone area, one of the hardest hit by the mud lava that fell yesterday night.
Rescuers continue to work tirelessly in the hope of finding the missing, but the weather conditions continue to be prohibitive, making operations even more complicated. The head of civil protection, Fabrizio Curcio Curcio, calls for caution for the next 48 hours. prepared thesafe evacuation of about 200 people.
What happened
Un river of mud and debris it hit Casamicciola, a town on the island of Ischia, around 5 am on November 26th. The landslide came down from Mount Epomeo, behind the hamlet of the island, as happened in November 2009, and dragged boulders and debris that caused the collapse of at least 10 buildings. There are about 30 isolated families in total 100 people yet to be reached and that they are without water and light. The road leading to their homes is currently impassable due to mud. At least a dozen cars and two tourist buses are piled up on the seafront, dragged down by the force of the landslide. Some cars ended up in the water, others are submerged in mud. It's no better in the upper area, the one already injured by the 2017 earthquake. The bobcats go back and forth to remove the debris. The regional civil protection has prepared generators that will be put into operation in order to allow searches even in the dark.
According to Paola Salvati of the research institute for hydrogeological protection of the Cnr, quoted by Republic, in the last 20 years the water had "never touched 50 millimeters in an hour, like last night between 4 and 5. Neither the 120 mm in six hours: it rained a lot between midnight and six in the morning”.
Convened the Council of Ministers
The council of ministers will meet at 11 this morning, convened for the declaration of the state of emergency as a result of the "exceptional meteorological events that occurred in the territory of the island of Ischia starting from 26 November 2022". The Government will make available resources for first aid.
"We will identify a commissioner, an institutional figure who could be a mayor in order to prepare the most urgent measures to restore the first conditions of livability without following the ordinary procedures for the acquisition of goods and services", he said last night the Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies Nello Musumeci. Among the first measures, the former Governor of Sicily speaks of the "fixing of some blocked roads, temporary accommodation, hot meals and anything else needed".
Macron calls Meloni, Mattarella calls the Mayor
“The Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is in constant contact with the Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies Nello Musumeci, the Civil Protection Department and the Campania Region to follow the evolution of the bad weather wave that hit Ischia. The Government expresses closeness to the citizens, to the Mayors of the municipalities of the island of Ischia and thanks the rescuers engaged in the search for the missing". This is what we read in a note released by Palazzo Chigi.
In the meantime, according to Elysee sources, the French president Emmanuel Macron spoke with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and expressed her support and solidarity after the dramatic events on the island of Ischia.
Yesterday afternoon, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called the mayor of the metropolitan city of Naples to express his closeness to the populations affected by the landslide, to express his gratitude for the work of the rescuers and to make sure of the progress of the relief efforts. Manfredi thanked the Head of State for always being close to the city and its community.
