Italy landslide leaves around a dozen trapped or missing

Around a dozen people were missing and trapped under mud on Saturday after heavy rains caused a “serious” landslide on the Italian island of Ischia.

A wave of debris swept down the hill in the small town of Casamicciola Terme in the early hours of the morning, engulfing at least one house and sweeping cars down to the sea, media reports and emergency services said.

Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister, said the situation was evolving but was "very serious" and complicated, with 12 people missing, and people trapped under the mud.

But he denied earlier reports that eight people were killed.

"At the moment there are no confirmed deaths," Mr Piantedosi said during a visit to emergency services helping coordinate the rescue.

Matteo Salvini, the infrastructure minister and deputy prime minister, was earlier reported as saying that eight people had been confirmed dead.

Officials cautioned that, as poor weather conditions hampered the rescue effort, the exact picture was unclear.

One family with a newborn baby reported missing earlier were later found in hospital, a local authority official in Naples, Claudio Palomba, told the AGI news agency.

He added: "At the moment no bodies have been recovered."

The heavy rain sent torrents of mud through the streets, upturning trees and sweeping away cars, leaving them battered on the side of the road and some in the water, according to images published by emergency services and local media.

The fire service earlier said one house had been overwhelmed by the mud and that two people had been rescued from a car swept into the sea.

Families trapped in their homes

It said help was being sent from Naples, the nearest major city, but weather conditions were making it difficult to access the island.

"The search for the missing, evacuations and help for people in danger continues," added the department for civil protection in an update on Twitter.

"The rescue effort remains complex due to the weather conditions."

Local authorities have called on residents of Ischia to stay inside so as not to hinder the rescue operation.

In the worst affected area of Casamicciola Terme, at least 30 families were trapped in their homes without water or electricity, with mud and debris blocking the road, the ANSA news agency reported.

Giorgia Meloni, the country's prime minister, said she was following the situation, offering her thoughts to those affected.