BERLIN, June 30, (AP): Storms in southern Switzerland caused a landslide that left two people dead and one missing, and a bridge over a small river collapsed, police said Sunday.
Storms and heavy rain affected southern and western Switzerland on Saturday and overnight, with the worst-hit areas in the Italian-speaking Ticino canton (state), on the southern side of the Alps.
Police said there was a significant landslide in the Fontana area of the Maggia valley, which is near the city of Locarno. They said in a statement that the bodies of two people were recovered and were being identified, while rescuers were searching for another person who remained missing.
Camping sites along the Maggia river were evacuated, and part of the small Visletto road bridge collapsed. Three other valleys in the region were unreachable by road.
Farther north, the Rhone River burst its banks in several areas of Valais canton, flooding a highway and a railway line.
Floods, thunderstorms and landslides also hit various regions in northern Italy. Firefighters said they carried out about 80 rescue operations, evacuating dozens of people in the northern Piedmont region.
Between Montanaro and San Benigno Canavese, two adults and a 3-month-old girl were rescued after the rising waters of the Orco torrent left them stuck in their car, firefighters said. Several villages were isolated due to overflowing streams, storms and landslides in the Valle D’Aosta region.