Mudslides flood Sicilian city; at least 13 dead

[October 02, 2009]  ROME (AP) -- Italy's civil protection chief says at least 13 people were killed and dozens injured by mudslides unleashed by heavy rains on parts of the Sicilian city of Messina.

Guido Bertolaso told a news conference Friday at least 40 people were hospitalized after rivers of mud swept away cars and caused several buildings to collapse overnight.

Several more people are believed to be missing but authorities have given varying figures, ranging from five to 20.

The mud unleashed by heavy rains descended from the hills and cliffs that ring the city. Roads and railways were cut and many of the stricken areas are still reachable only on foot.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ROME (AP) -- Rivers of mud unleashed by heavy rains flooded parts of the Sicilian city of Messina, leaving at least six people dead and several missing, Italian officials said Friday.

The mudslides swept away cars and caused several buildings to collapse overnight, according to civil protection officials in the city on the island's east coast. More than 100 people were forced to flee their homes, and at least 15 were injured -- two seriously.

The government in Rome declared a state of emergency for the area, freeing funds for emergency relief and reconstruction.

Rescuers with sniffer dogs were searching for the missing in hard-hit suburbs and surrounding villages, though efforts were hampered by the fact that many roads and railways have been cut off by the mud flows, Messina Mayor Giuseppe Buzzanca told Italy's Sky TV. Many of the injured had to be taken to hospitals by sea.

Buzzanca said there were 20 people missing, while Fortunato Romano, the city's civil protection head, told Sky later Friday that five or six were still being sought.

The mud swept into Messina from surrounding hills and cliffs, clogging streets with grime and debris that reached as high as the door handles of cars and homes.

As the rain subsided, residents and firefighters started clearing the mud with shovels and bulldozers.

Among the six killed was a man who was submerged and suffocated in the mud on the main piazza of a southern Messina suburb, the ANSA news agency said. Another man drowned in the flooded cellar of his country home, it said.

[Associated Press]

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