Some 80 people have been able to return to their homes on the island of Ischia after Sunday's fatal landside which killed four people. A total of about 250 people were forced from their homes at dawn on Sunday by a landslide caused by heavy rains on the island in the Bay of Naples.
The landslide destroyed a home, killing owner Luigi Buona and three of his daughters. His wife, Orsola Migliaccio, miraculously survived, along with the three-year-old niece they were taking care of.
Zoning inspectors said the house had been built without authorization in what was known to be a high-risk area for landslides.
Mud from the landslide covered nearby roads and knocked down power and phone lines.
Almost all the 250 people evacuated on Sunday found hospitality with friends or relatives on the island and no one needed to use the shelter authorities set up in a municipal gym.
The funeral for the four victims is slated to take place Wednesday afternoon. Ischia's bishop, Filippo Strofaldi, will celebrate the funeral mass which will be held at the municipal gym which can accommodate the large number of islanders expected to attend.
The incident has reignited polemics over illegal building on the island. Residents claim the tough zoning laws aimed at combating speculation on this resort island have made it near impossible to meet their housing needs. Similar unregulated building activities were blamed for the deaths of more than 140 people in a 1998 mudslide that buried the town of Sarno to the south of Naples.
