Italy mudslides toll 135, fresh rains feared

“Weather forecasts say we should not have rain before the next 70 hours … During this time, we have to get ready,” he said.

Residents in the affected Campania region have blamed local officials and the central government for not alerting them in time about the danger they faced when last week’s rains dislodged topsoil from mountains, unleashing rivers of mud. Prime Minister Romano Prodi has also been accused of failing to stop illegal construction or moving to reverse environmental imbalance in the area.