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Ammon News - At least eight people have died after heavy rain caused a landslide on the Italian island of Ischia on Saturday.

A wave of mud swept down a hill in the small town of Casamicciola Terme in the early morning, engulfing at least one house and sweeping cars down to the sea, media reports and emergency services said.

"There are eight deaths confirmed by the landslide in Ischia," Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said, according to the AGI news agency.

Earlier, news reports said 13 people had been reported missing, although there was no official confirmation.

Among them was a family comprising a husband, a wife and a newborn baby who lived near where the landslide began, according to the Ansa agency.

The fire service said one house had been overwhelmed by the mud and that two people had been rescued from a car swept into the sea.

It said aid was being sent from Naples, the nearest major city, but weather conditions were making it difficult for help to reach the island.

"The search for the missing, evacuations and help for people in danger continues," the Department for Civil Protection said in an update on Twitter.

"The rescue effort remains complex due to the weather conditions."

Local authorities have called on residents of Ischia to stay inside so as not to hinder the rescue operation.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is closely following the situation and offered her thoughts to those affected, her office said.