ads

Seven people died as a result of heavy rains in Switzerland, Italy and France

 


Severe thunderstorms and heavy rains in Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy on Saturday killed at least seven people, local authorities said Sunday.

Three elderly people died on Saturday evening after a tree fell on the car they were traveling in in northeastern France as a result of the storms and strong winds, the police command told AFP.

The police command said the elderly people were in their "seventies and eighties", as was a fourth passenger who was still in serious condition.

The source added that the accident "occurred as a result of strong winds that blew between 7 and 8 pm. (5 and 6 p.m. GMT).

In Switzerland, four people died and another was missing, according to local police.

On Sunday, police in the canton of Ticino said in a statement that three people were killed after a landslide caused by heavy rains in the southeastern part of the country.

In Sass-Grand, in the southwestern canton of Valais, one person was found dead in a hotel, and police suspect that he was "surprised by the rapid rise of the water level." Images published by the electronic media outlet "20 Minutes" showed part of the village covered by a layer of mud and rocks.

Police said another person was missing in Levalais.

In the canton of Zermatt, the Lavig river flooded again, according to images published overnight on the "X" platform. The images show torrents of mud flooding the streets of the famous ski resort at the foot of Mount Cerven.

These areas experienced heavy rains that caused flooding on June 21.

The army mobilized several helicopters in the neighboring cantons of Ticino and Louvalier.

Many areas in the Magia Valley were inaccessible due to power cuts. Part of the canton was without drinking water, according to the federal alert system.

From Saturday afternoon through Sunday, thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rain fell across much of Switzerland.

Last week, bad weather caused the death of one person and the loss of another.

Across the border, the Piedmont region and the Aosta Valley (northwest) also experienced flooding and mudslides, but no casualties or missing persons were reported.

On Sunday morning, firefighters in Piedmont said they had carried out 80 operations to rescue stranded people.

In the autonomous Aosta Valley, on the border with France and Switzerland, a landslide temporarily suspended traffic on the road to Cervinia. The flood caused serious damage in the center of the tourist town, where many shops were flooded.

In the Aosta Valley, the village of Kogni, with a population of 1,300, was inaccessible after mudflows blocked the roads leading to it.

The average rainfall in the village reached 90 mm in six hours on Saturday.

In Valnonte, near Cogne, electricity and water supplies were also cut off.

During the night, a helicopter rescued a family stranded in the area.

In far western Switzerland, flooding of the Rhone River and its tributaries due to heavy rains and melting snow led to the evacuation of hundreds of people and the closure of many roads, according to local authorities in the canton of Valais.

A statement released Sunday by the Civil Security Service in the southwestern canton of Valais said "several hundred people have been evacuated" after the Rhone River overflowed in several areas.

The agency added that the "flooding and torrential rains" led to the suspension of traffic on a main axis leading to international and regional roads.

Many roads in the canton of Valais were also closed.

Authorities in several cantons decided to cancel all outdoor events scheduled for Saturday, depriving thousands of Swiss national team fans from celebrating the 2-0 victory over Italy in the European Championship.

In Germany, Saturday night's match between Germany and Denmark (2-0) was suspended for several minutes due to a severe storm with heavy rain and hail.

Post a Comment

0 Comments