Southern Switzerland has been hit by flooding and landslides over the weekend resulting in at least four fatalities and one missing person. The affected areas include the Maggia Valley, Ticino and the Valais region.
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Three individuals were confirmed dead after a landslide in the Maggia Valley located in the Ticino canton. In the Valais region, a man was found dead in a hotel in Saas-Grund apparently taken by surprise by the sudden floodwaters.
A 52-year-old man has been reported missing from the village of Binn since Saturday evening. Authorities have launched a search operation and an investigation into the circumstances of the missing and deceased individuals.
The Rhône River overflowed in several locations including along the A9 motorway near Sierre causing disruption and road closures.
Floodwaters have caused debris flows and damage leading to the evacuation of hundreds of people in the Canton of Valais.
Numerous campsites and bridges in the affected regions have been damaged or collapsed.
The Swiss army has been deployed to assist in rescue and relief operations. In Italy the northern regions of Piedmont and Valle D’Aosta, firefighters conducted about 80 rescue operations.
This included the rescue of two adults and a three-month-old baby who were trapped in their car due to rising floodwaters.
The flooding in Switzerland has had a cross-border impact with strong storms also affecting the Haute-Saône department in France.
Extreme weather conditions have also been reported in other parts of Europe including wildfires in Greece and Turkey, where high temperatures and strong winds have worsen the situation.
The Maggia Valley and the Ticino region are known for their mountainous terrain which makes them susceptible to landslides during heavy rainfall. The Valais region including areas along the Rhône River has experienced historical flooding.
In France’s north-eastern Aube region, three elderly individuals, aged between 70 and 80, lost their lives when a tree fell on their car during storm.
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The victims were traveling when the tree, uprooted by strong winds and crushed their vehicle leading to their immediate deaths. A fourth passenger in the car survived but is currently in critical condition.
Switzerland has reported four deaths and two missing persons due to the extreme weather. Three individuals were killed in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, in the south-eastern region after torrential rains triggered a landslide. The bodies were recovered in the Fontana area of the Maggia Valley.
Northern Italy in the Aosta Valley experienced flooding and landslides leading to multiple casualties.
Images circulating online showed rivers swollen beyond their banks rushing down mountain slopes and causing damage.
In Valais, the Rhone River and its tributaries overflowed leading to the evacuation of several hundred residents and the closure of roads.
Authorities had to evacuate 300 people who had arrived for a football tournament in Peccia and nearly 70 others from a holiday camp in Mogno.
The civil security services reported that part of the canton was left without drinking water.
The poor weather conditions made rescue operations challenging. Several valleys were inaccessible due to landslides and flooding, and many areas were cut off from the electricity network.
Emergency services had to navigate through dangerous and unstable terrains to reach affected areas and evacuate stranded individuals.
In Italy, the northern Piedmont region saw firefighters conducting around 80 rescue operations, evacuating dozens of people.
Floodwaters left villages isolated and rising streams and landslides cut off access to many communities necessitating urgent evacuation and rescue missions.
The heavy rainfall and flooding in Switzerland led to damage to infrastructure. The Maggia River overflowed causing the collapse of part of the Visletto road bridge. In Valais, the flooding of the Rhone River affected highways and railway lines.
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