Eighth fatality found after storm on Ischia “Down with Xi Jinping!”: Protests against corona measures in China

It was a man, according to a message from the fire brigade on Twitter on Monday. The search team found him in Casamicciola, one of the areas in the north of the island that was hit hard by heavy rain and storms. This brought the number of missing to four.

Late Sunday night, the prefecture in Naples, southern Italy, had confirmed seven more fatalities and announced further details: According to them, a 22-day-old baby, an 11-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were among them. In addition, the troops discovered three dead women and a man.

Heavy rainfall had led to flooding and landslides. The northern part of the island was particularly affected. Numerous buildings were hit. Masses of mud drifted through the streets into homes, smashed cars and dragged them into the sea.

The government in Rome declared a state of emergency on Sunday and pledged two million euros in aid for the largest island in the Gulf of Naples. Critics pointed to the long-known risk of landslides from storms on the built-up slopes of the island and that the authorities had done too little to protect them. In addition, according to media reports, some houses were built without proper testing and permits.

Voices soon arose criticizing the lack of protection on the island of just over 60,000 inhabitants. The risk of landslides during storms on the inhabited slopes was known in Ischia as well as in other parts of Italy. Over the years, however, the government has not invested in security. In a televised interview with Rainews24, Vincenzo De Luca, Campania’s regional president, pointed out that people in these areas now need to think about inhabiting the slopes.

Giorgia Meloni’s government met in Rome on Sunday over the deadly storm and imposed a year-long state of emergency on Ischia. She also appointed an extraordinary commissioner to take care of reconstruction. Rome is making two million euros available for this. Ischia is a popular holiday destination for many tourists from Italy and abroad. (sda/dpa)