Over 1,000 people evacuated after landslide in Sicily
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
An aerial drone view of the landslide at Niscemi, Sicily, in southern Italy, on Jan 26.
PHOTO: EPA
ROME - More than 1,000 people were evacuated in Sicily after a 4km section of cliff crumbled during a storm, leaving houses perched perilously on the edge, the authorities said on Jan 26.
Land was continuing to give way due to rain that has soaked the area in recent days, said the mayor of the southern hill town of Niscemi.
No deaths or injuries have been reported following the landslide, which took place on Jan 25.
“The situation continues to worsen because further collapses have been recorded,” mayor Massimiliano Conti told local news on Jan 26.
Footage taken on Jan 26 by the Local Team video agency showed a narrow vertical section of cliff falling away, causing a building that had already been ripped apart to further collapse.
The front end of a car was visible next to it, its two tyres suspended in the air over the edge of the cliff.
The landslide covered the road below leading into town.
Mr Conti said the local authorities were working with police, fire and civil protection units to assess the next steps, including the resumption of school, which was cancelled on Jan 26.
“The situation is dire,” said the mayor.
Italy’s civil protection unit said all residents in a four-kilometre radius of the landslide had been evacuated.
Niscemi, which has a population of more than 27,000 people, is located about 28km inland from the southern coastal city of Gela.
Coastal areas of Sicily were hit last week by Storm Harry, damaging seaside roads and residences.
The region’s president, Mr Renato Schifani, estimated the cost of the damage cost at €740 million (S$1.11 billion). AFP
