More than 1,500 people have been evacuated from the Sicilian town of Niscemi after a major landslide triggered by violent storms left homes teetering on the edge of a cliff, Italy's civil protection chief said Tuesday (January 27).

Niscemi, a town of about 25,000 in south-central Sicily, sits on a plateau that authorities say is gradually collapsing toward the plain below, driven by water that remains in the subsoil.

Footage from the scene showed entire buildings perched on the brink after large sections of the slope gave way. A car was left hanging over the edge, visible from inside a collapsed structure.

"Let's be clear: if a house is on the edge it cannot be occupied", the civil protection head Fabio Ciciliano told reporters in Niscemi, saying residents from the affected areas would be permanently relocated.

On Monday (January 26), the Italian government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria, the three southern regions battered by the violent storm last week.

Extreme weather events have become more frequent in Italy in recent years. Floods have devastated cities across the country, killing dozens of people and amplifying risks of landslides and floods also in historically less exposed areas.

The administration set aside 100 million euros for the initial needs. But local authorities estimate damages at over 1 billion after powerful winds and waves pushed the sea inland overwhelming coastal defences, destroying homes and business.

In Niscemi, the sudden evacuations have fuelled anxiety and anger among residents, some of whom say earlier landslides went unaddressed.

"I have been told that I have to leave. We had the first landslide 30 years ago, and no one ever did anything," said local resident, Francesco Zarba.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

NISCEMI, ITALY (JANUARY 27, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE SHOWING LANDSLIDE (MUTE)

2. VIEW OF HOUSES / LANDSLIDE

3. ITALIAN CARABINIERI MILITARY POLICE STANDING

4. FIREFIGHTERS CARRYING BAGS / ASSISTING EVACUEES

5. FIREFIGHTER'S HELMET

6. FIREFIGHTERS WALKING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NISCEMI RESIDENT, FRANCESCO ZARBA, SAYING:

“The problem is that I have to leave my home, they told me, even though I don’t have anything (collapses) in the house or underneath.”

8. FIREFIGHTERS WALKING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NISCEMI RESIDENT, FRANCESCO ZARBA, SAYING:

''We had a landslide here also 30 years ago, and nobody ever did anything. This house was built 43 years ago, and there has never been any movement. Thirty years ago the major landslide commission came to inspect the house, and they said everything was fine, everything normal. Today, after 30 years, this landslide appears, and before this, no one had ever done anything about it, from the first mayor back then when it first happened until now.”

10. FIREFIGHTER / RESIDENTS IN STREET

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NISCEMI RESIDENT, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

''We are out of our home, it’s normal to be nervous. How should we feel? We’ve been out of the house for three days, we have nothing to say.”

12. RESIDENTS IN STREET

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) NISCEMI RESIDENT, NAME NOT GIVEN, SAYING:

“No one has told us anything yet. What fault does the mayor have? The mayor can’t say anything because he doesn’t know anything either. Little by little, we’ll wait. We are waiting.”

14. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS IN STREET

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) HEAD OF THE CIVIL PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, FABIO CICILIANO, SAYING:

''One thing is certain. The landslide is absolutely still active. I myself documented it with my phone while I was carrying out the inspection. It’s clear to everyone that the situation is really, very, very complicated.”

JOURNALIST ASKING: “Are you saying that because the houses on the edge of the cliff will collapse?”

CICILIANO SAYING: “I don’t know whether they will collapse or not, but let's be clear: if a house is on the edge it cannot be occupied.''

16. VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE SHOWING LANDSLIDE (MUTE)