Several people are missing in the Maggia Valley in Ticino after a landslide on the night of Saturday to Sunday. According to the cantonal police, the roads are closed and the campsites located along the river have been evacuated.
Several people are missing in the Maggia Valley, Ticino. According to the cantonal police, the flow occurred in the Fontana region. The cantonal police announced that rescue operations are particularly difficult due to bad weather conditions.
The upper Maggia Valley is currently isolated due to heavy rains that hit the area overnight from Saturday to Sunday. The bad weather caused the flow of the Maggia River to increase from 25 cubic metres per second to 2,000, while in Cevio the Visletto bridge collapsed, according to the RSI, blocking the cantonal road.
The side valleys, Bavona, Lavizzara and Campo are no longer accessible either and electricity has been interrupted throughout this area. In Airolo, in the Levantina Valley, debris flows have been reported (photos belowThe police have appealed to the public to limit their movements and not go to places affected by the bad weather.
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On his social networks, Ticino State Councilor Norman Gobbi expressed his sympathy for the affected population. “The bad weather last night hit Ticino hard and in particular the Maggia Valley. With deep solidarity and emotion, we express our closeness and support to our friends in the Maggia Valley in this difficult moment. The first responders are already busy and operational to save lives and are looking for technical solutions to restore connections,” he wrote this Sunday morning on X.
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Floods
A call to evacuate houses near the Maggia River was also made early on Sunday morning for residents of Parto-Sornico and the Ticino valley. Several floods were reported in the region after heavy rains, says Alertswiss.
Basements and underground garages should be avoided in the affected areas, the Confederation’s alert website states. It is also recommended not to approach watercourses and not to drive or cycle in flooded streets.
According to Meteonews radar, some 200 liters per square meter fell in the upper Maggia Valley in 24 hours. These masses of water are much larger than during the bad weather which hit Mesolcina in Graubünden ten days ago, causing serious damage. It then fell around 120 liters per square meter.
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Non-drinkable water
Drinking water in the municipalities of the upper Maggia Valley in Ticino is polluted following Saturday’s bad weather. The authorities warned the population on Sunday morning via the app Alertswiss.
The regions affected are the side valleys from Cervio (TI), namely Val Rovana, Val Bavona and Val Lavizzara, according to Alertswiss. Drinking water should not be used for drinking, cooking or washing until further notice.
Fabien Grenon with the agencies
