Violent storms occurred in Switzerland again. Authorities reported four deaths. There were also deaths in France. The storms in Germany, however, were milder than expected.
At least four people died in severe storms in Switzerland. Three people were found dead after a landslide in the Maggia Valley in the canton of Ticino. Another person is still missing. Another died in the canton of Valais.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain have hit large parts of Switzerland since Saturday evening. Early Sunday morning, residents of Prato-Sornico and Glen Maggia were asked to leave homes near the river. In the town of Mogno, 70 people were evacuated from a holiday camp and campsites. The flood blocked roads and also removed a bridge. Several valleys near Glen Maggia were no longer accessible and cut off from the power supply.
According to the police, the rescue operation in the valley is difficult due to the bad weather conditions. The disaster warning service Alertswiss announced that parts of Ticino had been cut off from the drinking water supply. The emergency services were also examining how they could evacuate 300 people traveling for a soccer tournament.
Rhône overflows its banks
In the canton of Valais, the authorities announced that a man had been found dead in a hotel in Saas-Grund. He was probably surprised by the amount of water there. Another person is missing in the Valais Binntal.
In the canton, heavy rain and melted snow caused the Rhône and its tributaries to overflow. According to local authorities, hundreds of people had to leave their homes. In Zermatt, the Rhône Vispa tributary overflowed its banks.
The Simlon is also closed
According to the authorities, many roads in Valais were closed due to the rain. Among them is the Pass Simplon, an important route for international traffic. Train traffic is also affected.
The previous weekend, unusually heavy rain and thunderstorms had already caused extensive damage in the south-east of the country. At least one person was killed.
Three dead in France
In the north-east of France, three people were killed in a car by a falling tree. The tree crashed with great force into the car traveling on a country road near Rosnay-l’Hôpital on Saturday afternoon during a storm, broadcaster France 3 reported, citing the local fire department.
Three passengers in the car were killed, and rescue workers freed a fourth person with life-threatening injuries.
A waterfall becomes endangered
In the north of Italy, the rain of the last few days turned many rivers and streams into raging floods. The location in the small Alpine town of Noasca, which has a famous waterfall, was particularly stunning. At times the water fell more than 30 meters so much that a current ran menacingly through the streets.
More than a dozen tourists were brought to safety as a precaution. According to official information, no one was injured. Mayor Domenico Aimonino said: “The situation was always under control. But I have to admit that we were afraid.”
There were also thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail in Germany
Sunday night also saw violent thunderstorms with heavy rain and, in some cases, hail in western and southwestern Germany. The storms hit right in the middle of the round of 16 of the European Football Championship.
Many fans wanted to watch the match of the German team against Denmark in Dortmund in front of outdoor screens or TVs. Meteorologists from the German Weather Service (DWD) warned against public viewing in the affected regions. Several events were then cancelled.
In the end, the thunderstorms were less severe than expected. There were only “very isolated cases of severe squalls and hurricane-like gusts,” a DWD spokesman said. These occurred mainly locally in the Rhineland-Palatinate District and Hesse. The strongest gust was measured at 107 kilometers per hour in Frankenberg, Hesse.
According to the DWD, in some areas quantities fell between 30 and 40 liters per square meter within a short period of time. At some points also fell 50 to 60 liters.