ANSAmed) - ROME - The death toll of the storm that has hit Messina and the north-eastern part of Sicily has risen to thirteen. According to the mayor of Messina, Giuseppe Buzzanca, around 20 people are still missing. Rivers of water and mud are complicating rescue operations, most of which have to be carried out from sea. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano is in Matera, from where he has contacted the prefect of Messina, Franco Alecci, for news on the situation. The cabinet has declared a state of emergency to deal with the situation which head of Civil Protection, Guido Bertolaso, defined as ''very serious'' and ''critical''. Several houses have collapsed due to landslides in the areas that were hit hardest: Scaletta Zanclea, Santo Stefano Briga, and most of all Giampilieri, 20 km south of Messina, where several buildings were swept away by a landslide. Rescue teams are digging in the mud for survivors. The bodies of six victims have been found in Giampilieri and Scaletta. One of them was found in a car that had been swept away by a stream of water. A ship of the harbour office has move around 50 people, of whom several are injured, from the coast of Messina to the city. Around 15 injured have so far been admitted to the hospital of Messina. Two of them suffered burns when a gas cylinder exploded due to the landslide that has hit Scaletta. Some inhabitants of the areas that have been hit have been rescued by the helicopter team of Civil Protection. Many people have fled to the roofs of their houses to escape the torrent of water and mud. The army, fire brigades and Civil Protection are active in the area.(ANSAmed).
