Earthquake in Ischia: The Rescue of Little Mattias and Hope for Ciro – A Chronicle of a Day of Fear and Solidarity

This morning, at 11:23 AM, the earth in Ischia shook again. A tremor of magnitude 2.6, with its epicentre in Casamicciola, was felt by everyone: those at the café, those doing their grocery shopping, those on the beach enjoying the sunshine. For a moment, hearts were in mouths, because around here, earthquakes are no stranger. But this time, alongside the fear, there was also a huge wave of solidarity and a few miracles.

The video that did the rounds of the island: Mattias pulled alive from the rubble

The first to be thrust into the spotlight was little Mattias. A video that went viral within hours shows the fire brigade pulling him from a pile of debris, covered in dust but alive. You can see the exact moment a tiny hand emerges from the rubble and a firefighter in a red helmet grabs it. The footage of little Mattias's rescue circulated through every family WhatsApp chat and island group. "I was crying at the screen," a neighbour told me, "because in that little boy, I saw my own nephew." The civil protection agency was on the scene immediately, coordinating the initial rescue operations with clockwork precision. And thank goodness for that, because at moments like this, speed is everything.

The digging continues: an entire community holds its breath for Ciro

But while for Mattias, the story ended with a hug and a thermal blanket, for another name, fate hangs in the balance. Ciro is missing. The search continues non-stop, shovel after shovel, under the sun and through the dust. The diggers work in near silence, broken only by the voices of rescuers calling out his name. "Come on, Ciro, let us hear you," they shout. And we, huddled in our homes or out on the street watching, are holding our breath. The latest updates from the civil protection agency speak of an intensive search, but time is not on their side. Hope is the last thing to die, and here in Ischia, we know that all too well.

The lesson of Casamicciola: between fear and rebirth

Every tremor sends us back years, to those terrible days of 2017 and 1883. But this time, despite the fear, the emergency machinery worked. Here are a few things that struck us all:

• The swift response of the Civil Protection: within minutes, they set up command posts and began inspecting buildings.
• Neighbourly solidarity: doors were thrown open to offer a coffee or a place to sit for those whose homes were damaged.
• The anxiety for Ciro: the most searched-for name on Google today, the hope that he can be found alive, just like Mattias.

And as evening descends on Casamicciola, the streets are filled with people who don't want to go back inside. Better to stay outdoors, talking, watching the stars, and praying that no more tremors come from the earth. Updates from the civil protection agency report that buildings have been checked and there is no major damage, but for Ciro, the search goes on. And we remain here, phones in hand, ready to receive the news we are all waiting for: "Ciro has been found."

This is our Ischia, fragile and strong all at once. A land that trembles, but one that never gives up.