Heavy rainfall hit Switzerland during the night from Saturday to Sunday, June 30, leading to a landslide. According to local authorities, two people died, one remains missing.
Two people died and one is missing in Switzerland in the canton of Ticino (southeast), after a landslide caused by torrential rains which hit a large part of the Alpine country since Saturday, police said this Sunday June 30th.
“The bodies of two people were found by rescuers in connection with the landslide that occurred in the Fontana region” in the north-east of the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, according to a second police statement, which specifies that identification is underway.
An appeal to evacuate homes near the Maggia River was launched early Sunday morning for residents of Prato-Sornico and the Maggia Valley, where the missing are being searched for.
The roads are cut and the campsites located along the river have been evacuated, according to the cantonal police. In addition, a bridge was swept away by the waters blocking the cantonal road.
Several valleys close to the Maggia valley are no longer accessible and the electricity has been cut. Part of the canton also finds itself without drinking water, according to the federal alert system Swissalert.
The Rhône is overflowing
A large part of Switzerland has been crossed since Saturday afternoon by violent thunderstorms accompanied by very heavy precipitation.
Further west, overflows of the Rhone and its tributaries, swollen by torrential rains and melting snow, forced the evacuation of several hundred people and the closure of many roads, according to local authorities in Valais.
“Several hundred people were evacuated” after the Rhône overflowed in different places, notably between Rarogne and Gampel or even in Chippis and Sierre, underline the civil security services of the canton of Valais (south-west) in a press release released on Sunday.
“Overflows and debris flows (mud and rock flows, editor’s note) along side watercourses took place”, forcing in particular the closure to traffic of the Simplon pass road, a major artery of the international but also cantonal traffic. Many other roads are closed in Valais.
In Zermatt, Visp once again got out of bed, according to images broadcast on the social network X during the night. We see the muddy waters rushing down the streets of this famous mountain resort at the foot of the Matterhorn.
Heavy rains had already caused flooding in the same places in the city on June 21. Road access from Täsch is also closed. Rail traffic is also disrupted in part of the canton.
Authorities in several cantons had decided to cancel all outdoor events on Saturday, depriving thousands of supporters of the Swiss national team of the opportunity to celebrate together the victory against Italy at the Euro.
