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10 people killed after flash flood hits Raganello gorge in southern Italy’s Calabria

ByTeo Blašković
10-people-killed-after-flash-flood-hits-raganello-gorge-in-southern-italy-s-calabria

Featured image: Search and rescue operations after flash flood hits Raganello gorge in Calabria, Italy. Credit: Vigil del Fuoco

The number of people killed after heavy rain flooded the Raganello gorge on August 20, 2018, rose to 10 on August 21. 23 people were rescued and brought to safety, three were found alive today and another three still remain missing. There were up to 40 hikers in the gorge when the creek running through it rapidly rose and turned into a raging torrent.

The incident occurred near Civita in the Province of Cosenza, Calabria when the Raganello creek, which runs through a deep mountain gorge in the Pollino National Park, turned into a raging torrent after heavy rainfall upstream.

"The gorge filled up with water in a really short space of time and these people were catapulted out like bullets," Carlo Tansi, head of the civil protection department in Calabria, said. "They ended up some 3 km (1.8 miles) down the valley."

According to ANSA news agency, three young people from Puglia missing after the flood were found alive today, but the search is on for another three missing hikers. The police said three mountain rescue reams from Umbria, Campania and Basilicata are taking part in the search.

ANSA reported Tuesday afternoon that the number of casualties rose to 10, after one of the injured died in the hospital.

Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.

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