More than 1,500 people have been evacuated from the Sicilian town of Niscemi after a major landslide triggered by violent storms left homes teetering on the edge of a cliff, Italy's civil protection chief has said.
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, driven by water that remains in the subsoil.
Footage from the scene showed entire buildings perched on the brink after large sections of the slope gave way. A car was left hanging over the edge, visible from inside a collapsed structure.
"Let's be clear: if a house is on the edge it cannot be occupied", the civil protection head Fabio Ciciliano told reporters in Niscemi, saying residents from the affected areas would be permanently relocated.
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 for the initial needs. But local authorities estimate damages at over 1 billion after powerful winds and waves pushed the sea inland overwhelming coastal defences, destroying homes and business.
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. We had the first landslide 30 years ago, and no one ever did anything," said local resident Francesco Zarba.
