Four Dead, Two Missing In Switzerland After Violent Storms And Landslides

Four people died, and two went missing in Switzerland on Sunday after violent thunderstorms and melting snow caused flooding and landslides in two southern cantons, also affecting parts of Italy.

Three victims were killed early Sunday in a landslide in the remote Maggia valley in the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino, according to police. The three bodies were recovered in the Fontana area of the Maggia valley and were being identified, while another person was missing in the Lavizzara side-arm of the valley, Ticino authorities said.

A downstream bridge in the Maggia valley was submerged, complicating rescue efforts. A campsite in the valley was evacuated by helicopter, and 300 people at a local soccer tournament were also set to be evacuated by helicopter, police reported.

In the southwestern Swiss canton of Valais, police said a man was found dead in a hotel in the Alpine town of Saas-Grund, likely caught by flooding as melting snow exacerbated violent thunderstorms. Another man was reported missing in another region of the Valais canton.

Flooding and mudslides also impacted parts of Italy. Around 200 people were evacuated by helicopter from their homes in Cogne in the Valle d’Aosta, said the region’s governor, Renzo Testolin. Additionally, 120 people were evacuated from Alpine villages in the neighboring Piedmont region after torrential rain, according to Italian news agencies, citing local firefighters.

Melissa Enoch

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