Italian rescue teams search for missing after Ischia landslide kills at least seven

Rome, November 29 (RHC)-- Italy has declared a state of emergency on the southern island of Ischia after at least seven people — including a newborn baby and two children — were killed Saturday in a massive landslide triggered by days of torrential rain.  

It was the worst storm reported in Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, in the last 20 years. 

Rescue teams continue to search for missing people through the mud and debris.  Many are blaming the illegal construction of buildings and homes, in a region that’s already extremely vulnerable to landslides and seismic activity, for exacerbating the destruction.

An area resident, Ciro Buono, told reporters: “It is the fault of our old politicians, who did not do preventative work on the mountains.  They cut down the trees, and this is the consequence.”