Landslide caused Messina tsunami. Monday, February 25, 2008 - 10:10. An underwater landslide and not an earthquake, as previously thought, caused the tsunami which devastated the Sicilian city of Messina in 1908, according to a new study.''Landslides are a frequent and unpredictable phenomenon.andslide caused Messina tsunami. Monday, February 25, 2008 - 10:10. An underwater landslide and not an earthquake, as previously thought, caused the tsunami which devastated the Sicilian city of Messina in 1908, according to a new study.