Press
Three bodies were found in meter-high piles of rubble after the landslide in Ticino. It is now clear who they are.
Bellinzona – Three German holidaymakers died in the landslide in Ticino over the weekend. Two of the women were 73, one was 76 years old and they all came from Baden-Württemberg, police reported. The bodies had already been recovered after the landslide on Sunday night near Fontana in the Maggia Valley, but had not yet been identified. Another body was spotted from a helicopter in a riverbed and later recovered. Identification was still in progress.
This was preceded by a massive storm with heavy rain. In order to protect the privacy of the deceased and their relatives, the police did not say where exactly in Baden-Württemberg the women lived.
Meter-high piles of rubble
A police spokesman told the dpa that he assumed that at least two of the three women were on holiday together. It was difficult to say who exactly lived in which house because not a stone was left standing in the area of the landslide. Meter-high piles of rubble had formed. Rubble was piled up on the paths and streets. Cars were destroyed.
A teenager told the newspaper “Blick” how he and his father found two of the bodies on Sunday morning. The 16-year-old, who lives with his family further down the valley, had climbed towards Fontana early in the morning. The family had heard about the landslide and wanted to take a look because they themselves own a house up in the valley.
They had seen a destroyed rustico near Fontana. That is the name given to the small, traditional-style houses, usually made of granite, which are often rented out as holiday homes. They had found two people in the rubble and determined that they were no longer alive.
They were unable to alert the police because there was no cell reception in the valley. They got off the bike and went to the police, the boy told the newspaper. “I will never forget the images. It bothers me and makes me sad,” he said. The third body was not found until later.
At least five people still missing
On Monday evening, four more people were reported missing in the upper Maggia Valley. According to the police, missing persons reports were received for two men and two women. The police did not provide any information about their identities.
This means that at least five people are still missing in the Maggia Valley. They may have been swept away by the raging waters of the swollen Maggia or by debris. Further down in the valley, the river caused a 57-meter-long bridge to collapse near Visletto. As a result, areas further upstream can no longer be reached by road. However, telephone connections have since been restored. dpa
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