Dead and injured after a storm on Ischia – “a tragedy” Infantino moves from Zurich to Zug – he now pays half the tax

Cars sunk in the mud, buses torn into the sea, debris and devastation in the streets: fierce storms on Saturday caused flooding and chaos in the north of Italy’s Mediterranean island of Ischia. Two women and a little girl were killed in the mud, according to the Naples Prefecture. Some injuries sustained. On Sunday afternoon, rescuers were still looking for nine missing persons. Divers from the fire service checked whether there were any victims in the cars washed into the sea. “It’s a tragedy,” said the civil defense chief as the extent of the devastation became apparent. In Rome, Pope Francis prayed for the people of Ischia – an island popular with tourists, where former Chancellor Angela Merkel also loved to vacation.

The storm erupted in the early hours of the morning over the island of just over 60,000 residents. The coastal town of Casamicciola in the north was particularly affected. A landslide carved a path of destruction into a slope between houses, as photos showed. The area was designated as a risk area. Soon there were voices that the authorities had not done enough to protect themselves in recent years. Masses of water washed cars through the streets, some of which remained on their roofs. According to the fire service, two people were rescued from a car that had torn into the sea.

The cleanup work started quickly. Authorities were deployed at times with around 370 firefighters and police officers. Specialists, vehicles and other reinforcements left the mainland for the island in the Gulf of Naples. The army sent helicopters and rescued three adults and two children stranded at a resort. Elsewhere, emergency services rescued a man standing in chest-deep water inside a building after dark, videos show. A small excavator plodded alone through the mud-covered streets and tried to pull the partly destroyed cars out of the mud.

On Saturday, the still-raging storm made work more difficult. “The situation is very complicated,” said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. On Sunday, the storm died down in favor of the rescuers. According to the latest information, they have taken 167 people from their homes and put them in a hotel. Many had been unable to leave their homes in the affected part of the island for hours. The administration has instructed the people to do this. Many had no electricity. Schools, cemeteries and parks remained closed on Saturday. Sciatica Mayor Enzo Ferrandino ordered this on Friday because of the severe weather warning.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni convened her ministers for a meeting in Rome on Sunday morning. The government has declared a state of emergency on Ischia for a year in order to release aid funds more quickly. Two million euros have been earmarked for reconstruction, which will also be coordinated by an extraordinary commissioner. (sda/dpa)