Press
Massive amounts of rain fell in Switzerland over the weekend. A deadly landslide occurred in southern Ticino. The weather conditions made the work of rescuers more difficult.
Cevio – At least four people have died in severe storms in Switzerland. During the night, the thunderstorms caused a landslide in Fontana in the Maggia Valley in the southern canton of Ticino, police reported. During the course of the day, three bodies were recovered in the area. They said they were still looking for another person.
In the canton of Valais, the authorities announced that a man had been found dead in a hotel in Saas-Grund. He was presumably surprised by the floodwaters there, they said. Another person was reported missing in the Valais Binntal. In Valais, the Rhone overflowed its banks in several places after the heavy thunderstorms. Flooding also occurred in the tributaries.
The rescue operation in the Maggia Valley in Ticino was made more difficult by the bad weather conditions. A bridge was destroyed by a raging river, and several side valleys were inaccessible by land. Campsites along the Maggia River were evacuated. In the worst-affected area, communication networks and electricity supplies were interrupted. According to the weather service Meteonews, around 200 liters of rain per square meter fell in the upper Maggia Valley within 24 hours. dpa
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