Alpine region isolated by landslide – tourists flown out by helicopter

Holidaymakers are trapped in the Swiss Saas Valley after a storm. A helicopter flight is the only way to leave the area – but it comes at a high cost.

Sion – Switzerland, and in particular the canton of Valais, has been hit by severe weather again. At the end of June and the beginning of July, the region had to contend with severe storms that triggered flooding and mudslides and caused considerable damage to buildings, roads, infrastructure and agricultural land. On September 5, the mountain region, popular with tourists, was hit again by a storm that triggered a landslide and isolated the Saas Valley. Brienz was also cut off from the outside world in mid-August.

Storm in Valais leads to landslide: Valley cut off from outside world

The recent storms in the canton of Valais caused significant traffic disruptions. Images from the Saas Valley show a destroyed road and bridge, cutting off the valley from traffic. Although the effects of the recent storm were less severe than the previous ones and no buildings were destroyed, some tourists are stranded in the region because an important access road was blocked. According to the spokesperson for the regional crisis team, around 2,200 tourists are stranded there.

In order to offer the tourists an opportunity to leave the country, the authorities proposed an unusual solution: they could be flown out by helicopter, the newspaper reports View. Most of those stranded are Swiss and not all of them are in a hurry to leave the area, says Bumann. There is enough accommodation.

Helicopter as an exit option: Valley in Switzerland isolated

For those in a hurry, however, leaving the country was quite expensive. A helicopter flight, which takes just a few minutes from Saas-Fee to Stalden, cost 140 francs, or about 150 euros. The regional command staff in Saas announced that the airlift was in place on Friday afternoon (6 September). The flights took place between 4 and 7 p.m. By 3 p.m. on Friday, 300 people had already registered. Five people can fly per helicopter. Media spokesman Bruno Kalbermatten confirmed this to the Valais MessengerThe residents of the Bavona Valley, in the upper Maggia Valley, were also evacuated by helicopter in July.

However, it might be worth having a little patience and waiting. Currently, the affected road is not expected to be passable again until Sunday (8 September) at the earliest, reports the dpa. An observation flight revealed that large boulders above the road still need to be blasted. Some of these boulders have a volume of 100 cubic meters. (jh/dpa)