Italy landslide death toll rises to 8, warnings 'ignored' / Photo: © AFP
-
Hong Kong court set to sentence activist Joshua Wong in security case
-
Korea’s Labor Share of GDP Hits Record Low Amid Semiconductor Boom
-
Australia raises benchmark rate to highest level in 18 years
-
littlefish and Halo Dot Partner to Replace Payment Terminals with SoftPOS
-
'The Remarried Empress' Cast Discusses Bringing Fantasy Royal Drama to Life
-
Kuwait inspectors destroy 115 kilograms of unverified meat in Farwaniya
-
Asian stocks retreat as AI worries outweigh steep oil-price drop
-
Egypt Accelerates Construction of 341km Sinai Railway Linking Arish and Taba
-
Hamad International Airport stages emergency drills during WATAN 2026
-
John Schneider Admits Owes Millions in 'Dukes of Hazzard' Divorce Battle
-
Global failure to punish attacks leaves journalists at continuing risk
-
Philippine Authorities Report Progress in Thomas Markle Sr. Child Pornography Probe
-
Researchers Warn 'Bookkeeping Trick' Masks Beef Industry's Methane Emissions
-
Web Summit Qatar 2026 generated QR1 billion economic impact, report says
-
Climate Change Intensified Atlantic Hurricanes, Study Finds
-
UAE oil spill raises questions for desalination operations
-
Qatar solar expansion opens scope for technical performance gains
-
Doha hotel and Carolina Herrera launch fragrance-inspired afternoon tea
Italy landslide death toll rises to 8, warnings 'ignored'
Search parties on Monday recovered the body of an eighth victim of a landslide on the small Italian island of Ischia, as a former mayor said his calls for an evacuation had been ignored.
A wave of earth and debris crashed through the small town of Casamicciola Terme amid heavy rains on Saturday, destroying houses and sweeping cars down to the sea.
The latest body to be recovered was a 15-year-old boy, killed along with his younger brother and sister. Four people are still missing, authorities said.
As the island mourned its dead, including a 21-day-old baby, it emerged Monday that former mayor Giuseppe Conte had called four days earlier for at-risk areas to be evacuated.
He sent 23 emails to authorities, but "nobody answered me," he told the Corriere della Sera.
Geologist Aniello Di Iorio told the Corriere della Sera daily there were "high risks" of further landslides on parts of Ischia, a lush island near Capri that is thronged with tourists in summer.
Experts said the disaster was caused by a fatal mix of deforestation, overdevelopment, and a lack of mitigation strategies.
National Council of Architects head Francesco Miceli said it was "a tragedy foretold".
"This is not an isolated case, the risk areas are numerous and affect many regions of our country," he said.
Italy needs to "quickly define more incisive territorial control strategies (and) concrete intervention programmes, and disburse adequate resources", he said.
The devastation in Ischia comes just weeks after 11 people died in heavy rain and flooding in the central Italian region of Marche.
K.Brown--BTB
