The two people died in the bad weather which hit Val Bavona, a side valley of Valmaggia, Ticino cantonal police said on Sunday morning. The latter has planned a press briefing at 11:45 a.m. in Locarno. The search continues to find a third missing person.
In Mogno, a summer camp which accommodated 70 people was evacuated. In Peccia, 300 people present at a football tournament also had to leave the premises. The cantonal police have made an emergency number available to reach the alarm center (0840 112 117).
On X, President of the Confederation Viola Amherd indicated that her thoughts were with those affected. And the Minister of Defense called for caution: “The situation remains tense. Be careful and follow the instructions of the authorities.”
Record amount of rain
The storms which broke out since Saturday afternoon in the Valais Alps, above the Simplon and as far as the Levantine have dumped record amounts of rain. According to Meteonews radar, some 200 liters per square meter fell at the top of Valmaggia 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.
Up to 10,000 lightning flashes streaked across the Swiss sky until midnight, including 4,600 in Valais alone and 1,900 in Ticino. Another 2,800 detonations rang out after midnight, particularly in Ticino and Grisons. Strong winds also blew. The Corvatsch (GR) and the Gornergrat (VS) recorded gusts of 123 and 122 km/h respectively.
The Rhône is overflowing
If the situation was less serious than announced in Geneva, Valais was particularly affected. On Sunday morning, the Rhône and several side rivers overflowed.
Contacted by Keystone-ATS, Raphaël Mayoraz, head of the Valais Natural Hazards Service, speaks of “an extreme flood situation”. Following massive rainfall, especially in Haut-Valais, the Rhône overflowed its banks in different places, notably between Rarogne and Gampel or even in Chippis and Sierre.
The flood peaked in the middle of the night in Brig and was affecting Lower Valais on Sunday morning. This “very significant wave” will continue to flow down the Rhône and should reach Lake Geneva around noon or early afternoon, adds Raphaël Mayoraz.
Roads closed
Several evacuations have taken place, particularly in the Conches Valley, in Täsch, Chippis and at the Sion campsite. The head of the Natural Hazards Service speaks of “several hundred” people evacuated. No reports of injured or missing persons have been reported so far.
Overflows and torrential lava flows also occurred along lateral watercourses, particularly on the Simplon axis which is closed to traffic. Many roads were also closed throughout the cantonal territory.
The highway between Sierre and Sion had to be closed on Sunday morning. On the Simplon railway line, transport was also seriously disrupted.
The Valais Council of State has also decided to declare “the special situation” and to delegate the subordination of the Cantonal Conduct Body (OCC) to the head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, Frédéric Favre . The objective is to be able to “act quickly when necessary,” he said in a press release.
Significant resources have been deployed to deal with the situation. Around 320 firefighters are involved. More than a hundred civil protection personnel and more than a hundred people from the services in charge of mobility infrastructures were also requisitioned, to which must be added all municipal services. /ATS
