Residents in an Italian town are facing disaster as their homes teeter on the edge of a cliff following a major landslide. The natural disaster tore away part of Niscemi, in Sicily, on January 25 amid extreme weather caused by Cyclone Harry. The ensuing chaos saw roads collapse and cars swallowed by a 25-metre abyss and thousands of locals are still living in fear of further erosion causing their homes to plunge downhill.

Salvatrice Disca, 70, who was evacuated alongside around 1,600 others after the landslide, said: “It all happened in a matter of moments. The power went out and a few minutes later the police knocked on our door. They told us to leave immediately, to abandon everything and only take the essentials – a few blankets and our medicines,” she told The Guardian. “For a week, we were unable even to wash or change what we were wearing.”

Aerial shots taken after the landslip showed blocks of flats and buildings – including a 17th century church – hanging over the cliff edge, while large deposits accumulated on the land below.

While evacuees have since been allowed to return and retrieve essentials and valuables from the at-risk properties, the rest of Niscemi’s 25,000-strong population are still living in fear, as land continues to give way hour by hour.

Geologists have linked the disaster to rapid urban expansion on a slope with historic instability, where the last major collapse was documented in 1997, and the increasingly turbulent impact of climate change on the Mediterranean.

Sofia Salvo, 61, a primary school teacher who has been left homeless, said: “My family lived in that house for three generations.

“Now it’s gone, and I keep asking why the authorities allowed it in a risk area. Someone has to take responsibility.”

An investigation has been opened into the loss of properties caused by the landslide, but experts have warned that it is not an isolated case and instead reveals the combined dangers of extreme weather and negligent housing policies in the region.

Chief prosecutor of Gela, Salvatore Vella said: “We are examining a substantual body of material, including images provided by the Italian Space Agency. Witness hearings will follow. One thing is certain: no one will be spared scrutiny.”