| Giampilieri after the mudslide | |
| Duration: | 2009 |
| Fatalities: | at least 31 deaths[1] 6 missing[1] 95 injured[2] |
| Areas affected: | Messina (Giampilieri Superiore, Altolia, Briga Superiore and Molino) Scaletta Zanclea |
The 2009 Messina floods and mudslides which occurred on the night of 1–2 October killed at least 31 people,[1] mainly on the Ionian coast in the Province of Messina but also affected other parts of northeastern Sicily. The places which suffered the most damage were Giampilieri Superiore, a small frazione 10 kilometres south of the city of Messina, the comune of Scaletta Zanclea, and the frazione of Briga Superiore.[3]
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As of 8 October seven people are still missing[1] and at least 450 inhabitants of the comuni were left homeless by the sudden extreme weather.[4] 40 wounded people were hospitalised, at least two of these were said to have serious injuries.[4][5][6] Messina has been surrounded by mud and rainwater.[7] Parts of Sicily are still inaccessible.[8]
A state of emergency was declared by the Italian government.[6][7][8][9][10] It is the worst landslide disaster in Italy since 1998 during which 137 people died in Sarno, near Naples.[8][11][12] The death toll is expected to rise.[8] Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi claimed it could be as high as fifty.[13]
On the night of 1–2 October 2009, a sudden downpour of rain, accompanied by strong winds and lightning, provoked devastating mudslides; which combined with the extreme nature of the weather meant people had little time to flee buildings or vehicles as mud swept down from the surrounding hills and cliffs clogging the streets with debris and grime, carrying away people, cars, and dwellings.[14] It was believed that nine inches of rain fell in a space of three hours.[12]
One of the dead was submerged in mud and water as he sat in his automobile.[5][7][15] One man was drowned in the flooded cellar of his country home.[10][12] Another man choked to death after swallowing mud on the main piazza in a suburb of Messina.[10]
One survivor commented on his escape from his submerged vehicle: "I was driving home when suddenly all this stuff came down on top of me and hit me full on. I managed to climb out of the car. It was a terrible experience".[15] Cars were swept along by the mud.[14] Many buildings collapsed; some were partially submerged by mud, and engulfed by water and debris.[12] People were washed away into the Ionian Sea.[16][17] At least 100 people evacuated their houses following mudslides.[5]
Many fled to rooftops where a helicopter lifted them to safety.[4][5][15] The first batch of evacuees escaped aboard boats and then helicopters.[4] Survivors are being sought as emergency crews dig through the mud.[5] Assistance efforts have been disrupted by the mud, with rescue crews attending the scene on foot.[4] Dogs are being used to find survivors.[4] Medical teams were rushed to the scene.[14] Bulldozers were also deployed.[12]
One rescue worker described it as "hell".[6] Many survivors sought refuge in a convent.[17] The railway line which connects the city of Messina to the resort town of Taormina was blocked by debris and mud.[16][17]
A hospital in the capital Palermo was partially flooded and people were found trapped in their vehicles.[8]
An investigation into the "culpable disaster" was quickly underway.[4] The origins of this tragedy probably lie in the lack of forestation caused by annual summer brushfires and in the locations where the houses were built — some of them near a torrent bed — although there are angry accusations against the local administration, for having failed to secure the nearby hills from the risk of landslides, following the mudslides in October 2007 which had caused damage but no casualties.[18][19] President Giorgio Napolitano said: "We need a serious investment plan to increase safety — rather than grandiose public works — in this part of the country, or else tragedies like this one will happen again".[20]
An Italian meteorologist has described the storm as being a tropical-like cyclone (TLC).[17]
As of 4 October, many bodies still have not been recovered from the mud and debris.[21] Some of the victims were small children. Silvio Berlusconi visited the afflicted areas on 4 October and met with some of the people left homeless by the disaster. The scenes have been described by a Rai Uno news reporter as "apocalyptic".[22] As of 6 October, Director of the Civil Defence Guido Bertolaso amended the number of missing people from 37 to nine. It is uncertain as to whether all of the bodies of the victims will ever be recovered.[23]
On Saturday morning, 10 October, a televised state funeral was held for the victims at the Cathedral of Messina.
