An Italian town on the brink of collapse: this is what it looks like after a landslide
Niscemi, in Sicily, is about to fall down a ravine
A landslide triggered by torrential rains has caused several houses and buildings to tumble down a large ravine. The incident occurred in the Sicilian town of Niscemi, a municipality of approximately 25,000 inhabitants located in the south of the island. One of the town's neighborhoods is literally suspended over the abyss. Local authorities are on high alert, as further landslides are still occurring. The situation is critical and could worsen in the coming hours. Although the landslide caused no casualties, it did force the evacuation of some 1,500 residents.
The images coming out of Niscemi are shocking: a vast stretch of land has collapsed, leaving buildings practically suspended in mid-air, just centimeters above a chasm tens of meters deep. The town's mayor, Massimiliano Conti, specified that they have a "landslide front at least four kilometers long that is expanding." As a result of the landslide, an entire neighborhood has been evacuated, and several families will not be able to return to their homes for safety reasons. Some 300 families have already been relocated to other housing and also to a sports center in the town. Several of the main access roads to the town remain closed, and classes at schools have been suspended.
The town of Niscemi is no stranger to this type of event: a similar landslide occurred in this area 29 years ago. Dozens of buildings were destroyed, and some 117 families were also forced to relocate. The reason could lie in the area's geological composition: it is a terrain where clay and marl predominate, making it susceptible to landslides.
Storm Harry batters Italy
Sicily is one of the areas hardest hit by a storm that has put five regions of Italy on alert, almost all in the south of the country. Heavy rains have forced road closures and triggered landslides. In fact, the government of Giorgia Meloni is meeting this Tuesday with the expectation of declaring a state of emergency in the regions of Calabria, southern Sicily, and eastern Sardinia.