Limone Landslide Avoided Tragedy; Road Damage and Safety Measures Underway
The landslide in Limone resulted in no casualties. Beneath the rocks, earth, and branches that literally dragged into the lake the western Gardesana, there would have been no one left. From Saturday evening, immediately after the initial interventions, the testimony of two Riva motorists, who passed just moments before the wall collapsed, had reassured rescuers.
The two individuals from Riva, both clients of the Mayor of Riva, had immediately informed authorities and rescue teams about what happened on Gardesana. “We saw a piece of mountain fall, but the road was clear. There was no one,” the two stated to Volontari del Garda, the first on the scene of the landslide.
_checks and verifications on site
Further confirmation came yesterday when the canine units of the Bergamo and Lecco provinces Carabinieri completed their work. Throughout the morning, search dogs sniffed and scratched through stones and soil, but found nothing. In the early afternoon, the dogs returned to their base.
Additional reassurance about the avoided danger is also provided by the fact that no missing persons reports have been filed in the area: no one is absent from their homes, and everyone has returned safely.
During the night, there were moments of fear following a report from Tremosine of a person not returning home, but it was merely a delay, and the landslide had nothing to do with it. Everything suggests that the landslide did not cause any victims, but law enforcement officials prefer not to speculate and are holding back, stating that it appears “highly unlikely” that the many cubic meters of earth and rocks have taken any lives.
The damages and safety operations
The only confirmed victim of the landslide is the road itself. The western Gardesana has been closed since 10:45 p.m. on Saturday night. A section of the road, near kilometer 102, just next to the artificial debris dam tunnel, has slipped into the lake.
On Gardesana, at least 5,000 cubic meters (this is the initial estimate) of earth and rocks have fallen along a front of about sixty meters, with as much material looming on the wall, ready to slide at any moment. This very possibility has led to extreme emergency measures yesterday, with full attention and focus.
The fallen material – as described by technicians – remains highly unstable: stones continue to fall, and this ongoing scourge has made the work of the dogs difficult. The first step is to stabilize the landslide as much as possible.
Yesterday afternoon, rock climbers from Anas were already ascending the wall. Their task is to “smooth out” the road for the excavators. Using small explosive charges, the climbers will break apart the larger rocks, those on the verge of falling at any moment.
The rock climbers will carry out some inspections along the ridge from which the landslide detached to assess the situation and identify potential further dangers. After this initial preparatory phase, the road will be cleared. The work will not be quick.
The situation is serious, but not as severe as last February, when a landslide killed a pensioner from Arco, Trentino, who was passing on Gardesana in his Ape car, leaving Limone completely inaccessible from the Brescia side.
The road remained closed for a long time, creating significant transportation difficulties and huge inconveniences for commuters and students.
