A huge rockslide has buried the only road into the fashionable Swiss holiday resort of Saas-Fee. Helicopters flew out hundreds of holidaymakers.
Saas-Fee – A violent storm has devastated the Valais region in southwestern Switzerland. Up to 100 litres of rain fell per square metre in 24 hours. “The heavy rainfall during the night from Wednesday to Thursday led to several overflowing watercourses in the Saas Valley and a mudslide, which led to the closure of sections of the road between Stalden and Saas-Balen,” says a statement from the canton of Valais. A Facebook-Video shows the violence of the water masses.
The valley is closed and the region cannot be reached by land. Around 2,200 holidaymakers were temporarily stranded. And this was just before the end of the school holidays in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. A helicopter airlift was therefore set up for the trapped tourists on Friday (6 September). It is not cheap: the flight from Saas-Fee to Stalden costs 140 francs (the equivalent of 150 euros). 800 passengers were flown out by Saturday evening, and those with business appointments were given priority.
Those who were not evacuated from the Swiss luxury resort expressed frustration – or celebrated
There was a lot of frustration on the ground: “Every cloakroom number distribution is better organized than this,” a teacher from the Zurich region told blick.chHe is there with his class. On Friday he and his class were queuing at 5:30 p.m. because they said they would be flying at 4 p.m. “No chance. It was hopelessly overcrowded,” said the teacher. It was exactly the same on Saturday. Other tourists, including a student, reported similar experiences.
On Sunday, no flights took place at all, and the evacuation would not resume until Monday, it was said. A Freiburg resident, who was trapped with his daughter and granddaughter, reported to Facebook: “Four hours of waiting time for the guests, tireless efforts by pilots and staff on the ground – and always friendly and helpful. My daughter, my granddaughter and a friend were there too – the first day of school is coming up! There will be a lot to talk about.”
Some people tried to leave the valley on foot. According to the emergency team, they and onlookers obstructed the blasting work to restore the road connection. Despite this, the blasting of the large boulders was completed. On Sunday afternoon, the municipality of Saas-Fee announced that the road would be reopened on Wednesday morning.
The repair work on the buried Swiss road will probably last until Wednesday
Among the trapped holidaymakers are the passengers of a coach from Thuringia: “The coach was supposed to go back home at the weekend. Now our customers are stuck in the hotel in Saas-Fee,” a spokeswoman told IPPEN.MEDIAA Swiss guest says that medicines were flown in especially for him.
Another trapped guest reported on Facebook on Sunday afternoon that the mood among those trapped in Saas-Fee was good. “Stranded people and locals are celebrating together,” the holidaymaker posted and shared the corresponding pictures. There is a party atmosphere at the “Taste of Saas-Fee” street food festival, which was planned anyway.
Valais holiday resort isolated not for the first time – hoteliers concerned
Klaus Habegger (45) from the Valais Hoteliers Association and head of the five-star hotel Walliserhofis not in a mood to celebrate: “This is the fourth time that we have been cut off from the outside world. With news like this, people naturally think twice about whether they want to spend their holidays in the Saas Valley,” says Habegger to blick.ch.
Habegger continued: “The longer the closure lasts, the greater the logistical challenges become. We have to look at: What about food? How can we still feed the guests well?” Guests who were unable to travel will receive vouchers. Those who had to stay will receive a discount. In addition, an activity program has been set up, which includes a Segway tour.
Saas-Fee is not an isolated case: In the Alps, more rockfalls and mudslides are occurring than ever before: for example, a group of mountaineers on Mont Blanc recently escaped an immense rock avalanche. In Austria, mountaineers hit and injured by a rockfallExperts have long warned that the Thawing of the permafrost in the summit areas poses the danger rises.
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