Italy No all-clear for Sicilian town after landslide
The situation in the town of Niscemi in the southwest of the Italian Mediterranean island of Sicily, which is threatened by a massive landslide, continues to worsen.
29.01.2026, 15:23
SDA
The head of the Italian Civil Protection, Fabio Ciciliano, said on television that a safety zone that had been designated due to the danger of further landslides was expanding further into the center of the small town due to the ongoing landslide. The situation on the ground is critical.
All houses within 150 meters of the edge of the landslide were evacuated. The area has been declared a so-called red zone, which no one is allowed to enter - not even former residents or firefighters. "The landslide is still active," said Ciciliano.
He continued: "The safety zone continues to expand as the front edge of the landslide reaches further and further into the city." Pictures show how residential buildings are literally standing on the edge of the abyss, and it may not be long before some of them are swept down the slope. A four-kilometer-long front threatens to sink.
More than 1,500 people already evacuated
Since the weekend, the ground has been sinking in parts of the Niscemi area in the south of the Italian Mediterranean island. The outer part of the town stands directly on the slope and is threatening to slide further. According to the authorities, more than 1,500 people have already had to leave their homes. Many of them will probably not be able to return to their homes.
The situation on the ground is classified as critical by the authorities. "I'll just give you one figure to illustrate the scale. At the moment, we are talking about a landslide mass of around 350 million cubic meters," said Ciciliano.
According to experts, the earth in the village had soaked up like a sponge as a result of heavy rainfall. At the weekend, the ground on the edge of the town then gave way and subsided. Due to the expected further rainfall, the danger of further collapses has not been averted and there is great concern on the ground.
Storm emergency declared in the south of Italy
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Niscemi on Wednesday. She first flew over the disaster area by helicopter to get an idea of the situation, in her own words. She then met the Sicilian regional president Renato Schifani as well as employees of the fire department, civil defense and other municipal authorities.
Sicily has been hit by storms with heavy rainfall in recent days. Sardinia and the south of the Italian mainland were also affected. The authorities put the damage for Sicily alone at 1.5 billion euros. On Monday, the government in Rome declared a state of emergency for the affected regions.
However, the focus is currently on the small town of Niscemi in southern Sicily. It is not the first natural event of this kind in the area. In 1997, parts of the town had already disappeared in a landslide. Many inhabitants of Niscemi are currently reliving the nightmare of around 29 years ago.
