About 200 coffins fell into the Ligurian sea after part of an Italian cemetery collapsed in a landslide.

The incident took place on the cliffs of the northwest coast town of Camogli, about 20 kilometers south of Genoa.

The Italian fire service has confirmed that no one was injured in the landslide, which destroyed two chapels and carried several meters of rock to shore.

Authorities have been working at the site since Monday by boat to restore the coffins, while access to the cemetery has been restricted.

Experts said there was no initial danger to other buildings in the vicinity.

The alarm was first raised by employees at the cemetery, who restored several pantheons and witnessed a collapse.

Mobile footage shared on social media showed the ground shaking amid loud noises, before parts of the cemetery sank to shore.

“The search for human remains affected by the accident is still ongoing,” said Mayor Francesco Olivari, warning that some of the coffins may be buried under the rubble.

Five of the ten coffins recovered from the sea have been identified, Olivari added, as about twenty people gathered in front of the town hall to report about the bodies of their loved ones.

“Starting tomorrow we will welcome everyone one by one to try to provide answers to those affected by this tragedy that has involved our entire community.”

“We are close to all the Camogli family at this time of mourning,” the town hall also said at a Facebook posts.

Genoa prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of the landslide. Local authorities stated that the cliff under the burial had been eroded by heavy rainfall and violent sea storms in recent years.

Camogli Cemetery is one of the most popular in the area due to its location on the touristy Italian Riviera, in a historic port city.