Landslide leaves Sicilian town teetering on cliff edge

Homes in the Sicilian town of Niscemi have been left teetering on the edge of a cliff after a landslide that was triggered by a storm, Italy’s civil protection chief said on Tuesday.

Niscemi, a town of about 25,000 in south-central Sicily, sits on a plateau that authorities say is gradually collapsing toward the plain below. More than 1,500 people have had to be evacuated.

“Let’s be clear: there are homes on the edge of the landslide that are uninhabitable,” the civil protection head Fabio Ciciliano told reporters in Niscemi, saying residents from the affected areas would be permanently relocated.

“Once the water has drained away and the moving section has stopped or slowed, a more accurate assessment will be made … The landslide is still active,” he added.

On Monday, the Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria, the three southern regions battered by the violent storm last week.

Extreme weather events have become more frequent in Italy in recent years. Floods have devastated cities across the country, killing dozens of people and amplifying risks of landslides and floods also in historically less exposed areas.

The administration set aside 100 million euros ($119 million) for the initial needs of the areas worst hit by the recent storm. But local authorities estimate damage at over 1 billion euros after powerful winds and waves pushed the sea inland overwhelming coastal defences, destroying homes and businesses.

In Niscemi, the sudden evacuations have fuelled anxiety and anger among residents, some of whom say earlier landslides went unaddressed.

“I have been told that I have to leave, even though I don’t have anything (collapse) in the house or underneath,” Francesco Zarba said.

“We had the first landslide 30 years ago, and no one ever did anything.”