Newborn Among At Least Seven Found Dead After Landslide Hits Italian Island
‘MUD AND WATER’
At least seven people were found dead—including a three-week-old infant—after a landslide slammed into the southern Italian island of Ischia before dawn on Saturday, burying much of the town of Casamicciola under mud and debris, according to the Associated Press. The other victims were identified by officials as the newborn’s parents, a 5-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, a 31-year-old island resident, and a Bulgarian tourist. Naples officials confirmed that five people remained unaccounted for on Sunday. “Our biggest hope is that people identified as missing have found refuge with relatives and friends and have not advised of their position,” a spokesperson for Italian firefighters told state television, having explained the problem of “mud and water” filling “every space” search teams were attempting to reach. The landslide, which engulfed 30 homes and displaced at least 200 people, was triggered by heavy rainfall, with Italy’s National Research Council noting that a record high of nearly five inches was recorded between midnight and 6 a.m. on the morning of the disaster.