Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Active Landslide in Sicily’s Niscemi Forces 1,500 to Evacuate as Homes Teeter on New Cliff

Officials attribute the collapse to Cyclone Harry rainfall, prompting real-time monitoring alongside possible permanent relocations.

Overview

  • The slide stretches about 4 km with local vertical drops of 6–7 meters and a preliminarily mapped area near 1 km², according to early surveys.
  • It remains active with new tension cracks reported, and authorities have imposed a 150-meter no‑go zone along with road closures and school shutdowns.
  • More than 1,500 residents have been evacuated with no reported casualties, and civil protection leaders say some houses are no longer habitable.
  • Italy declared a 12‑month state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria and set aside an initial €100 million for urgent needs.
  • Sicily’s regional estimate of storm damage has risen to about €2 billion as experts point to saturated sand‑and‑clay geology and prior red‑zone warnings.