Mudslides kill at least thirteen in Italy
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At least thirteen people have been killed after torrential rains caused mudslides in Italy on Friday. The mudslides occurred in the city of Messina, located in the northern part of Sicily. The mud blocked rails and road, cut off communications, and destroyed several buildings. Search and rescue teams were using dogs to locate survivors buried beneath the rubble. Around forty people were hospitalised. "Most of the dead and seriously injured were in two buildings that collapsed in mudslides," emergency services spokesman Giampiero Gliubizzi to
At least thirteen people have been killed after torrential rains caused mudslides in Italy on Friday.
The mudslides occurred in the city of Messina, located in the northern part of Sicily. The mud blocked rails and road, cut off communications, and destroyed several buildings.
Search and rescue teams were using dogs to locate survivors buried beneath the rubble. Around forty people were hospitalised.
"Most of the dead and seriously injured were in two buildings that collapsed in mudslides," emergency services spokesman Giampiero Gliubizzi told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Over one hundred people were forced to evacuate when mudslides threatened their homes, officials said. Some escaped onto roofs, where they were airlifted by helicopters.
"I didn't understand what was happening. I was at home and everything started moving. Then I found myself surrounded by rubble," said a survivor. Witness reports suggest the depth of the mud reached seven metres (23 feet) in some areas.
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Licensed archive reporting by Wikinews contributors. Text: CC BY 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/). Original source date retained. 411 has not independently verified this archive report.
Read the source: Wikinews ↗Source published 2 Oct 2009, 05:30 am IST
