Torrential rain fell this Sunday late afternoon in the Alps. In Genevois, in Haute-Savoie, a violent storm caused significant mudslides and extensive damage. No casualties have been reported but 600 homes are still without electricity in the Archamps sector.
This Sunday, June 9, around 6 p.m., heavy rain fell on the Haute-Savoie department with a violent storm localized in the Salève sector.
The rainy episode lasted only 40 minutes, but caused a lot of damage: “These are mainly floods, flooded cellars, there is no major material damage, at least for the moment a lot of things – carried by rivers, streams and torrents – have spilled into the streets, but no major material damage”, specifies Vincent Lecaque, the mayor of Collonges-sous-Salève. .
Severe bad weather caused a lot of damage including significant mudslides in the town of Collonges-sous-Salève in Haute-Savoie – June 10, 2024
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© France TV / Ingrid Pernet-Duparc
The Drize stream, which descends from Mont-Salève, was unleashed and brought with it alluvium and a lot of vegetation: “There were trunks that stuck on the bridge and against the parapet. This caused the water to rise, go over the windows, break them, fill the cellars, it broke the doors because there was so much pressure”testifies a local resident.
In this video, shot by a resident of Collonges-sous-Salève, we can see a biker swept away by a mudslide.
In total, the Sdis 74 firefighters intervened nearly 200 times but “no injuries were reported”confirms the prefecture of Haute-Savoie.
On the A 40 motorway, near the town of Collonges-sous-Salève, a pipe was damaged by torrential rains causing a significant mudslide. “The mud spread across both lanes towards Chamonix, making traffic impossible for around fifty meters”, specified the ATMB services. For several hours, traffic on the motorway was cut off, between exits no. 13 Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and no. 14 Annemasse.
In Collonges-sous-Salèves, in Haute-Savoie, a pipe was damaged causing traffic to be cut off on the A40 for several hours – June 10, 2024
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© France TV / Ingrid Pernet-Duparc
The muddy and flooded areas were cleared by ATMB technical teams. Traffic on the highway was restored shortly before 10 p.m.
This Monday morning, 600 homes are still without electricity, including 400 in the municipalities of Archamps and Collonges-sous-Salève.
The Enedis teams hope to return to normal by the end of the day. Elsewhere in the Alps, other damage is to be deplored, particularly in Isère, where train traffic remains complicated this Monday between Grenoble and Lyon due to a mudslide and damage to the railway line.
