CNN
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At least eight people have been confirmed dead after a landslide hit the Italian island of Ischia on Saturday, damaging buildings and destroying transport infrastructure in its path.
Five people are still missing, the governor of the Campania Prefecture’s office in southwestern Italy told CNN on Monday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency on Sunday due to what she called “exceptional flooding and landslides” following torrential rains in the Gulf of Naples.
Videos and images shared by local and national authorities showed the destruction in the Ischia port city of Casamicciola Terme. The island is located off the coast of Italy, west of the city of Naples.
Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca said in a statement Monday that the region had allocated around $4 million “to meet the most immediate needs related to the Ischia landslide.”
It added that the administration would “guarantee adequate services for displaced families housed in temporary shelters.”
On Sunday, the governor told a news conference that houses in Ischia that did not meet the building code were partly to blame for the damage, adding that they had to be demolished.
The Italian government has also started distributing €2 million ($2.08 million) in aid and assistance to the local population affected by the landslide, according to a statement over the weekend.
