Wednesday, August 28, 2024 A catastrophic landslide struck the town of San Felice a Cancello, located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Naples, Italy, leaving two individuals missing and feared dead. The landslide, triggered by relentless torrential rains, has caused widespread devastation in the area, forcing residents to evacuate and sparking a massive search and rescue operation. The disaster unfolded on Tuesday afternoon as torrential rains battered the region, causing a cascade of mud and debris to sweep down from a nearby hill.
This hill, already weakened by a wildfire that ravaged the area in early August, gave way under the pressure of the continuous downpour, unleashing a powerful landslide that engulfed parts of the town. San Felice a Cancello, a small town with a population of around 17,000, found itself at the mercy of nature’s fury. As the mudslide descended, it filled cellars and garages, dragging along cars, motor scooters, and anything else in its path.
The usually quiet streets of the town were transformed into rivers of mud and rubble, cutting off access to several areas and leaving behind a trail of destruction. Amidst the chaos, a woman in her 70s and her adult son, in his 40s, went missing when their three-wheeler was overwhelmed by the landslide. Emergency services later found the mangled wreckage of the vehicle buried in the mud, sparking fears that the pair may not have survived the disaster.
The search for the missing mother and so.