Anger over illegal buildings following landslide deaths

Rescuers continued to search for five people still missing after a landslide in Ischia, as anger grew on the southern Italian island over years of illegal construction that contributed to the disaster.

At least seven people, including a three-week-old baby and a pair of young siblings, died in last Saturday’s landslide, which was triggered by a violent storm that sent mud and debris from Monte Epomeo crashing into the hamlet of Casamicciola Terme. The same hamlet was hit by a landslide in 2009 and damaged again by an earthquake in 2017. Dozens of homes were destroyed, trees uprooted and cars swept into the sea in the latest tragedy.

The storm, which followed days of heavy rain across much of Italy, is reported to be the worst in 20 years to have hit Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, with 126mm of rain falling in six hours.

Casamicciola Terme is home to just over 2,000 people and lies in an area of the island – known for its natural hot springs and popular with Italian and foreign tourists – that is extremely vulnerable to landslides and seismic activity. Seventy-two landslides were registered to have occurred in the hamlet between 2018 and 2021.