Dozens of residential buildings in the Sicilian town of Nisemi were left literally hanging over a precipice after a landslide triggered by a strong storm, the head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, Fabio Ciciliano, said on Tuesday. The town of about 25,000 inhabitants is located on a plateau in southern Sicily, which authorities say is gradually collapsing towards the plain below, reports "Reuters".
More than 1,500 people were evacuated after large sections of the slope gave way. Some buildings were left standing on the edge of the landslide, and a car was photographed with its front end jutting out over a gaping chasm.
"Let's be clear: there are homes on the edge of the landslide that are uninhabitable," Ciciliano told reporters in Nisemi. He said residents in the most affected areas would be permanently relocated. He added that once the water receded and the active movement of the earth masses stopped or slowed down, a more accurate assessment of the damage would be made, stressing that the landslide was still active.
On Monday, the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria - the three southern regions hit hard by storms over the past week. The Italian government has set aside 100 million euros for initial needs in the affected areas, but local authorities estimate the total damage at more than 1 billion euros due to homes and businesses destroyed by strong winds, waves and flooding.
Extreme weather events in Italy have become more frequent in recent years. Floods are now affecting not only traditionally high-risk areas but also areas previously considered safer, increasing the risk of landslides.
In Nisemi, the sudden evacuations have caused alarm and anger among residents, some of whom say earlier landslides were not taken seriously. "They told me to leave even though there was no visible damage to my house," said resident Francesco Zarba. "The first landslide was 30 years ago and nobody did anything," he added.