LANDSLIDES IN SICILY DEATH TOLL COULD REACH 50

MUDSLIDE DEATHS - CAUSED BY HEAVY RAINS -
'TO HIT 50' IN ITALY , MANY STILL MISSING

ROME (AP - AFP) - Rescue workers dug for a second day Saturday through piles of mud and debris as they searched for about 30 missing people from a mudslide that has killed at least 21 in Sicily. The number of people killed in mudslides caused by heavy rains in southern Italy will rise to 50, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has warned. Rescuers are still searching for some 40 people still missing. Twenty-one deaths and 80 injuries have been confirmed since torrential rains caused violent mudslides around the Sicilian city of Messina early Friday.

The mudslides swept away cars, toppled buildings and blocked transport links. Sniffer dogs were being used in the search for survivors as rescue teams used bulldozers, shovels and their bare hands to dig through the mud. Although some 400 people had been evacuated from the area, continuing rainfall was hampering rescue efforts. With road and rail links cut, some survivors had to be taken out of the area by sea while others were rescued from their rooftops by helicopters. Analysts suggest deforestation and over-development had weakened the soil on the hills surrounding Messina, increasing the likelihood of mudslides in heavy rainfall.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

A firm confidence that the Supreme Lord will protect us in all circumstances is needed. In fact, who is saving us from all the dangers and calamities that are hovering around us every moment? In time of a severe trial, all of our acquisitions or the nearest of relations fail. There is no power anywhere in this universe that would do any harm to a person whose Protector is the Supreme Lord. On the contrary, the entire population and resources of the whole universe, cannot save him, if he is disowned by the Lord. This firmness in his belief makes him steady ever the more. This spirit of confidence saves him from the unsteady nature of the mind. ... It makes the life of a striver light and easy, and his journey remarkably smooth and pleasant.

Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaja :

"Guru and Atma Nivedan - Firm Confidence in the Lord"