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1 of 3 Photo: AP/TT
Eight people have lost their lives and four are still missing after Saturday’s landslide on the Italian island of Ischia. At the same time, attention is drawn to the large number of black-owned buildings in the affected area.
On Monday morning, the eighth victim – a man – was found in the seaside resort of Casamicciola, where during Monday the residents are feverishly trying to shovel away the large quantities of mud that have dragged in over the city’s streets and houses.
An intensive rescue operation with, among other things, 160 firefighters and 70 rescue vehicles sent to Ischia from other parts of Italy is ongoing for the third day. On Sunday, the Italian government also issued a state of emergency for the disaster area.
Criticism of black construction
At the same time, attention is drawn to the large number of houses that have been built without building permits over the years on the popular tourist island, something that is pointed out as a contributing reason why the devastation in the earthquake was so extensive.
According to Angelo Bonelli, president and member of parliament of the coalition Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, half of the houses in the affected seaside resort are pure black buildings.
“Let’s say it like it is. Every other house in Casamiccola is a black-and-white building and has been built in a place where it shouldn’t be,” he tells La Repubblica.
Sensitive area
Heavy rain had fallen in the area in the days before the landslide, and more rain is also expected in the Campania region, where Ischia is located, in the coming days.
Casamicciola is located in an area extremely sensitive to landslides and seismic activity, and between 2028 and 2021 alone, 72 landslides were recorded here.