Cars and campervans were damaged in the mudslide in Bardonecchia on Sunday
Dramatic video shows the churning river of mud forming a huge wave as it burst its banks and slammed into a street following heavy rain in the town of Bardonecchia, near Turin in the Val di Susa valley.
Horrified residents and tourists were sent running for their lives as the huge 'mud tsunami' smashed through a gate and sent debris flying towards them on Sunday evening.
Further video shows a thick wall of mud thundering down the river banks that pass through the Alpine town, blanketing cars with debris.
Rescuers desperately searched for five people believed to have been missing following the mudslide but authorities later said all residents had been accounted for and there were no victims.
Piedmont regional governor Alberto Cirio said the damage was significant and that he had already asked the national government for help.
Civil protection crews were en route to remove the debris from roads and to check the situation with the Frejus River, which was primarily involved, he said.
Firefighters said crews had rescued six people from an overturned camper overnight after it was swept away by the mudslide.
Around 120 tourists and residents were evacuated from their hotels and homes as a result of the damage caused by the mudslide, ANSA news agency reported.
They are now being accommodated in a camp set up by the Italian Red Cross in a local sports facility.
The local police station in the town as well as the hotel La Betulla were damaged in the mudslide, and an entire fleet of police cars were destroyed by the thundering 'mud tsunami', reports say.
Bardonecchia, located at 4,265ft (1,300m), is a popular destination for both winter mountain sports and summer hiking, and several streams, creeks and tributaries feed into it including the Frejus, Melezet and Rochemolles.
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