A newborn baby and two children were among eight people killed by a landslide on the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia, the prefecture of Naples said on Monday (November 28).
Four people were still missing as dozens of emergency workers began to remove mud and debris from the streets of the little town of Casamicciola Terme after a wave of mud, debris, and stones broke away from the island's highest mountain on Saturday (November 26) and crashed down over houses and roads.
Episodes of heavy rainfall are becoming more common and more intense in the light of climate change, experts say, exacerbating hydrogeological risks in many parts of Italy.
"I live near the area hit by the landslide and it's not the first time something like this has happened...we can say I'm used to it", 20-year-old resident, Gabriella Sorice, told Reuters.
"We had earthquakes, landslides, etc we are a bit accustomed to misfortunes but these problems need to be solved."
Statistics show Ischia has a large number of houses that were built illegally, putting inhabitants at permanent risk from flooding and earthquakes - which have often hit the hilly island over the past years.
The fatal landslide has reignited political controversy over pardons for unlawful buildings granted in recent decades and the reluctance of some politicians to address the issue.
"It is a discouraging situation," a resident said. "Illegal things that should not have been done were done."
Italy's new right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni held a cabinet meeting on Sunday (November 27) and issued a decree aimed at providing swift help to people in need following the disaster, including some 230 people who were evacuated.
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