Three dead in Ticino after landslide, one person missing – rts.ch

In the area of ​​the landslide in the Fontana region, in the Maggia valley which was hardest hit by the storms, the bodies of three people were recovered by REGA rescuers this Sunday. According to the local daily The regionthese are Swiss-German tourists who came to spend their holidays in the region.

In the Lavizzara Valley, however, the search for a missing person continues, according to RSI Info.

Numerous evacuations

Furthermore, in Mogno, a summer camp which accommodated 70 people was evacuated by helicopter. In Peccia, 300 people present at a football tournament also had to leave the premises.

No one was injured, said the cantonal police, who provided an emergency number 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.”

The collapsed Visletto bridge

The upper Maggia Valley is currently isolated due to heavy rains which fell on the region overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Bad weather caused the flow of the Maggia river to increase from 25 cubic meters per second to 2000, while in Cevio the Visletto bridge collapsed, according to RSI Infoblocking the cantonal road.

The side valleys, Bavona, Lavizzara and Campo are no longer accessible either and electricity has been interrupted throughout this area. The police have appealed to the population to limit their movements and not go to places hit by bad weather.

Torrential lava in Airolo

In Airolo, in the Levantina Valley, debris flows have been reported (photos below). On his social networks, Ticino State Councilor Norman Gobbi, who lives in Airolo, expressed his sympathy for the affected population of the canton.

“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”, wrote this Sunday morning on X the head of the Ticino cantonal police, working on the ground.

Invited to react on the 12:30 p.m. microphone, Norman Gobbi adds that in the Levantina valley where he lives the situation is less critical than in the Maggia valley, “but the situation in terms of mobility also remains very complicated”, confirming that debris flows took place in Airolo, but without seriousness.

>> Read also: Storms finally hit French-speaking Switzerland, torrential lava at the Simplon Pass

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. The roads are also cut and the campsites located along the river have also been evacuated.

Cellars and underground garages should be avoided in the areas concerned, specifies the Confederation alert site. It is also recommended not to approach watercourses and not to drive or cycle through 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.

Non-drinkable water

Drinking water in communities at the top of the Maggia valley in Ticino is polluted following Saturday’s bad weather. The authorities warned the population on Sunday morning via the application 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.

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Fabien Grenon with the agencies