CASAMICCIOLA TERME - Italy’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after a landslide on the southern island of Ischia killed at least one person and left a dozen missing.

A wave of mud and debris hit the small town of Casamicciola Terme on Saturday morning, engulfing at least one house and sweeping cars down to the sea, local media and emergency services said.

A first tranche of two million euros (S$2.9 million) relief funds was released at the end of an emergency cabinet meeting, said Minister for Civil Protection Nello Musumeci.

More than 200 rescuers are still searching for a dozen missing people, while hundreds of volunteers, and others, up to their knees in mud, are busy cleaning the streets of the town.

Wreckage of cars and buses crushed by the mudslide could be seen and boulders were scattered around as excavators sought to free up access to homes, cars and shops.

Rescuers had recovered the body of a 31-year-old woman, according to Italian news agency AGI.

“The mountain came down, there was devastation of shops, cars, hotels and that was already happening nine years ago. Now I am cleaning my mother-in-law’s shop,” said Mr Salvatore Lorini, 45.

The landslide was caused by a lack of maintenance and prevention “because nature is nature, there was an earthquake, but a bit of prevention” could have saved lives, said Mr Lorini.

Densely populated, Ischia is a volcanic island which lies some 30km from Naples. It draws visitors to its thermal baths and picturesque coastline.

Casamicciola Terme, a resort town of 8,000 inhabitants in the northern part of the Ischia Island, was hit by an earthquake in 2017 that killed two people.

Statistics show the hilly island has a large number of houses that were built illegally, putting inhabitants at permanent risk from flooding and earthquakes.

“People must understand that they can’t live in some areas and buildings in risky areas must be torn down”, Campania governor Vincenzo De Luca told state broadcaster RAI on Sunday. AFP, REUTERS