Italy to evacuate more than 1,000 people amid weather warnings

Rome: Italian authorities will evacuate more than 1,000 people from areas at risk on the island of Ischia following last week’s deadly landslide.

A severe weather warning has been put in place with heavy rains expected, a government official said on Friday.

Giovanni Legnini, the special commissioner for civil protection In Ischia, said the precautionary evacuation would take place on Friday afternoon.

Those who were moved from their homes would be accommodated in hotels on the island, authorities added.

At least 11 people were killed on Saturday in a landslide caused by heavy rains in the small town of Casamicciola Terme. One person remains missing.

Officials have blamed the disaster on unstable soils, deforestation, overdevelopment, and lack of maintenance and prevention.

Experts and activists have said that the construction of illegal buildings increased the risks of natural disasters in Ischia, which is situated off the coast of Naples.

The Italian government has declared a state of emergency in Ischia, which allows it to quickly receive funds and resources, including those for civil protection.