Landslide Leaves Historic Sicilian Town Perched on Cliff’s Edge

Part of the town of Niscemi in Sicily teetered on a cliffs edge on Wednesday after a landslide on Sunday, triggered in part by intense rain from Cyclone Harry, officials and residents said; more than 1,500 people have been evacuated. The chasm stretched for about 2.5 miles, leaving houses and apartment buildings perched at the edge.

Aerial footage showed underground pipes and cables dangling from exposed foundations and a silver-gray sedan partly suspended over the abyss, and rain continued to fall as the hillside kept crumbling. Italys prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, visited Niscemi and called the situation "particularly complex," saying she was "determined to provide immediate responses." The government declared a national emergency across Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria and set aside 100 million euros for the disaster response.

Fabio Ciciliano, head of Italys National Civil Protection Service, said the crumbling hillside was preventing emergency workers from approaching and made it hard to calculate the extent of the damage or say when people could return. He said after surveying the area by helicopter, "At the moment, its very hard to imagine the future" and "The only thing we can do now is wait." Parts of Niscemis historic center and nearby businesses are at risk.

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