Europe

At least four dead in Switzerland and Italy as storms cause flooding and landslides

Swiss army called in as some mountain roads, including Gotthard Pass connecting north and south of country, and rail lines closed

Storms in southern Switzerland caused a landslide that left two people dead and one missing, police said. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone/AP

Sun Jun 30 2024 - 15:23

Storms in Switzerland and northern Italy have caused extensive flooding and landslides, leaving at least four people dead, authorities said on Sunday.

The bodies of three people were recovered following a landslide in the Fontana area of the Maggia valley in the Italian-speaking Ticinostate on the southern side of the Alps.

Storms and heavy rain pounded southern and western Switzerland on Saturday and overnight.

Camping sites along the Maggia river were evacuated, and part of the small Visletto road bridge collapsed. One person was missing in the nearby Lavizzara valley.

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A flooded streeted in Sierre, Switzerland. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone/AP

The Rhone river overflows in Sierre, Switzerland. Photograph: Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone/AP

Further north, the Rhone river burst its banks in several areas of Valais canton, flooding a highway and a railway line.

Police said side valleys south of the Rhone saw particularly heavy rain, and the body of a man whose partner had reported him missing was found at a hotel in the Alpine resort of Saas-Grund early on Sunday. They said he is believed to have been caught by surprise by floodwater.

Another man has been missing since Saturday evening in the Binn area, in the upper Rhone valley near the Italian border, police said.

Floods, thunderstorms and landslides also hit various regions in northern Italy.

Firefighters said they carried out about 80 rescue operations, evacuating dozens of people in the northern Piedmont region.

The Navizence river floods an industrial zone in Chippis, Switzerland. Photograph: Olivier Maire/Keystone/AP

Between Montanaro and San Benigno Canavese, two adults and a three-month-old girl were rescued after the rising waters of the Orco torrent left them stuck in their car, firefighters said.

Several villages were isolated due to overflowing streams, storms and landslides in the Valle d’Aosta region.

Some mountain roads, including the Gotthard Pass that connects the alpine nation’s north and south, are closed temporarily, and local rail lines have been interrupted as well.

The Swiss Army has been deployed, but continuing rain is complicating rescue efforts, the Ticino cantonal police told SRF on Sunday. Flood risks continue for Lake Constance and the Rhone river, the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology said on its website.

President Viola Amherd called on the nation’s residents to stay alert and follow official instructions.

The latest severe weather comes just a week after heavy rainfall caused damage in Switzerland’s Misox valley, and weeks after large parts of southern Germany also faced widespread flooding. – AP/Bloomberg

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