A missing person was rescued in a valley in southern Graubünden, while emergency services are working to find three others still buried, police said on Saturday. In Valais, the level of the Rhône was falling on Saturday morning, but the authorities are maintaining the state of “special situation” at least until the end of the day.
A woman was found alive in scree by rescuers in the Misox GR. She was transferred to the hospital. Three other people – a couple and an elderly woman – are still buried in the same area, police said Saturday. Earlier in the day, four people were reported missing.
“We managed to save at least one life,” said a Graubünden cantonal police officer on Saturday morning during a press conference in Roveredo, broadcast by Italian-speaking television RSI. Friday evening, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall caused heavy flooding. Rivers overflowed and roads were flooded.
The Graubünden government is following the situation “with great concern and wishes a lot of strength to all those concerned”, he wrote on specifies for its part the Redog rescue organization of the Swiss Red Cross.
>> See this RSI video showing the area where three people are buried:
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Furthermore, a Graubünden cantonal police patrol lost its vehicle in the floods in the same valley. The patrol was looking for people or animals that might be in danger. In doing so, the police officers put themselves in danger, said William Kloter, commander of the Graubünden cantonal police. They were saved thanks to the rapid reaction of their colleagues and could only watch as their vehicle was swept away by the waves.
The President of the Confederation Viola Amherd was shocked by the extent of the damage caused by bad weather in several regions of Switzerland.
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Graubünden copiously watered
The intervention zone for the police and firefighters extended over almost 20 kilometers. A cone of excretion affected several houses. The search continued to find the three missing people using helicopters and drones, noted a police officer.
Several dozen people had to be evacuated from their homes in the Mesolcina Calanca region, the Graubünden cantonal police said in a press release.
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With 125 millimeters of rain recorded in the last 24 hours, according to Meteonews, the municipality of Grono holds the prize for precipitation in Switzerland.
Other measuring stations in the canton also recorded significant amounts of rain. In San Bernardino, 80.2 millimeters were measured between Friday morning at 8 a.m. and Saturday morning at the same time. In Chur and Ilanz, the measurement reached 48.8 and 47.7 millimeters respectively.
The situation calms down but remains tense in Valais
Torrential washes, landslides, raging rivers and closed roads, precipitation in recent days and melting snow have caused flooding and damage throughout Valais. So far, no injuries have been reported.
The cantonal authorities on Saturday extended the state of “special situation” decreed on Friday, which means that the Council of State takes control of the security system, which allows it to have additional means of intervention if necessary. . The danger remains high around rivers, and thunderstorms are still expected on Saturday.
>> Explanations and testimonies from residents evacuated around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday:
The CFF line between Riddes and Ardon restored
However, the water level of the Rhône fell during the night from Friday to Saturday. Interrupted on Friday evening as a precautionary measure, rail traffic between Riddes and Ardon resumed on Saturday at 8:00 a.m.
According to the CFF, the level of the Rhône had reached a critical height downstream of the Riddes railway bridge. The Lausanne-Brigue line had to be interrupted. Interregio trains were canceled from 10:20 p.m. between Martigny and Sion, as were regional trains between Riddes and Ardon. Replacement buses have been put into service.
SBB has launched a liveticker for travelers with continuous updates.
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Navizence in flood
A total of 230 people living on the banks of the Navizence had to be evacuated in the village of Chippis, near Sierre, “as a precautionary measure”, indicated the head of the Cantonal Control Body. The evacuated residents will be accommodated the next night in the gymnasium.
>> The subject of 12:45 p.m. on the evacuations in Chippis (VS):
In Bramois, the Borgne risks overflowing, warns the canton. The banks and the Bois de la Borgne are closed. An inflatable dike was built by the Sion firefighters to protect the village from rising waters and evacuations are possible if this is not enough.
In Martigny, the flow of the Dranse is also very high and a nearby road has been closed
>> See the images of Dranse and Navizence:
Several road axes are cut, in particular the road between Vissoie and Mayoux, the cantonal road between Riddes and the Bieudron factory or the link between Fionnay and Bonatschiesse.
Zermatt cut off from the world
The situation is also particularly tense in Zermatt, where precipitation over the last 24 hours reached 30.1 millimeters. The Matter Vispa river (or the Visp of Zermatt in French) which crosses the Valais resort has burst its banks. Several streets were flooded and the station’s schools were closed.
>> Images of the Vispa in Zermatt:
Trains will no longer run between Visp and Zermatt for an indefinite period, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn said. Trains on lines R40, RE41 and RE42 are canceled due to the risk of flooding. Replacement buses once ran between Visp and Täsch, but this service was also interrupted.
As the road is also closed at least until Saturday between Täsch and Zermatt, there is no longer any access to the resort. At dawn, torrential lava actually poured onto the roadway. People are therefore stuck in the station, but the village president assures that there is no danger
“Strong” danger for the Rhône
The Rhône is also showing signs of concern. A flood alert of degree 4 out of 5 has been issued from Visp to Lake Geneva until Saturday by MeteoSwiss, which corresponds to a “strong danger”. A situation that only occurs every 10 to 30 years, according to experts.
Faced with this situation, the canton has banned walks on the banks of the Rhône until Monday evening and occasional evacuations are underway. The peak is expected Friday evening and the river should not overflow.
For the moment, the river level is not far from that of 2000, the year of the last major flood episode. It caused significant damage but the dikes have since been reinforced.
According to MétéoSwiss, it is expected to rain until late Friday before returning to dry conditions on Saturday. But the situation will still be monitored very carefully in the coming days. The control staffs continue to observe the waterways and are ready to act according to the evolution of the situation and evacuate if necessary.
>> Details from Flore Dussey in the 12:45 p.m.:
>> Read also: Due to the risk of flooding, Valais prohibits walks along the Rhône
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