Mudslides Kill Many In Southern Italy

More than 80 people died and dozens were injured after days-long torrential rains sent rivers of mud and rocks flowing through several towns in southern Italy in May 1998. A 35-mile-long slide area stretched from Naples to Salerno, and one government official reported, "Whole towns are drowning in mud." Authorities attributed the mudslides to recent forest fires that left hillsides stripped bare of vegetation that held soil, and said the disaster was exacerbated by poor building construction practices as well as the unwillingness of residents to leave their homes.

Photo by AP/Wide World Photos An elderly resident watches volunteers dig in the mud in search of more bodies in Sarno, the town worst hit by the mudslides in southern Italy.