After severe storms in Graubünden, four people are initially reported missing. One woman manages to save herself, one person is found dead.
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis travelled to Graubünden to get an idea of the situation on the ground.
Michael Buholzer / Keystone
A landslide with mud and debris buried four people on Friday evening after severe storms in southern Graubünden. A woman was rescued alive early Saturday morning in Misox south of the San Bernardino Pass, the cantonal police reported on Saturday. The woman was flown to the hospital in Lugano. A couple and an elderly woman are still missing in the village of Lostallo. They are being searched for with dogs, helicopters and drones.
One of these three people was found dead on Sunday. The police announced this at a media conference. The body is said to be that of a man. He was discovered in a river near Roveredo. The search for the other two missing people is ongoing. “Of course the search must continue,” said police commander William Kloter. He also said, however, that the chances of finding the missing people alive are slim: “But we are doing everything we can.”
Nicola Giudicetti, the mayor of Lostallo, told the Sunday newspaper that three houses had been completely destroyed. “One was a holiday home, the people inside were able to escape. A local couple lived in another, the man is missing, we found his wife on Saturday morning at six o’clock.” The third house is still standing, but the residents are missing. “We suspect that they were outside and were swept away by the water,” said Giudicetti.
Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms led to huge amounts of water in the Misox. Several streams overflowed their banks. According to police reports, roads and meadows in various villages in the valley were flooded with rubble, wood and other material and became impassable. In the village of Sorte, the water swept away three houses and three vehicles. Two police officers put themselves in danger during their operation when they were looking for people and animals. Their car was flooded up to the roof and the police officers had to swim to safety. William Kloter, commander of the Graubünden cantonal police, said at a press conference on Saturday that the police officers were saved thanks to the quick reactions of their colleagues. They could only watch as the police vehicle was swept away by the floods.
The A13 motorway and the Italian H13 road were closed between San Vittore and the north portal of the San Bernardino Tunnel. Access from the north towards Roveredo is not possible because the roads are closed. The route via the San Bernardino is a popular alternative route when the Gotthard Tunnel is once again overloaded. A section of the A13 motorway, around 200 metres long, was destroyed. The section was swept away by the Moesa River. Helicopter images from the Ticino broadcaster RSI show the washed-away motorway, of which only the guard rails are hanging in the river.
When asked, a spokesperson for the Federal Roads Office said that due to the flooding, no precise analysis of the extent of the damage could be carried out at the moment. However, it is assumed that at the beginning of next week there will be more clarity about what has been destroyed and how long it will take until the route is passable again. The office itself did not want to make a forecast on Saturday, but a look at the pictures suggests that the closure will probably be for a long time. A representative of the Graubünden police told “Blick” that it will probably take months.
According to the weather service Meteonews, Graubünden experienced 125 millimeters of rain within 24 hours. Otherwise, an average of 154 millimeters is usual for the whole of June. In addition, there were more than 7,000 lightning strikes during the same period. In some places, water overflowed its banks. 230 people were brought to safety in Misox as a precaution, police said.
The Graubünden government is following the situation “with great concern,” it said on the canton’s official X-Account. They wish everyone involved a lot of strength.
