Situation largely easing in Ticino and Valais
Published: Monday, Jul 8th 2024, 17:10
Zurück zu Live Feed
After further heavy rainfall during the night, particularly in the south, the situation in Ticino eased over the course of Monday. Both the Muggio Valley and the village of Lavizzara in the upper Maggia Valley were accessible again. The situation also calmed down in Valais and the Engadine, with some exceptions.
The road restrictions have been lifted since 06:45 on Monday, according to a statement from the Ticino cantonal police. The Valle Lavizzara - a section of the Maggia Valley - is once again passable for residents.
Access to the valley is also possible again via the pedestrian bridge at Visletto further down in the Maggia Valley, albeit with restrictions. Priority is given to first aid organizations. At certain times, suppliers of essential goods and farmers are also allowed to pass.
And one of the two access roads to the Muggio Valley in southern Ticino was also reopened on Monday morning. The second road between the villages of Monte and Casima has been closed since Sunday due to a landslide following heavy rainfall.
The Ticino cantonal police spoke of a quiet night on Monday despite the heavy rainfall in southern Ticino. There were no operations, as a police spokesperson told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Debris flows in Valais
In Valais, debris flows once again rolled down into the upper Val de Bagnes on Monday. A bridge was destroyed by masses of mud and the Dranse overflowed its banks in some places. One road had to be closed.
An aerial survey of the valley showed that the area from which the debris flow originated was still unstable, the municipality of Bagnes reported on request. Heavy machinery was transporting masses of rock above the village of Champsec on the edge of the Fregnoley torrent. Access to the village of Lourtier at the end of the valley was still blocked.
In the rest of Valais, the situation stabilized over the course of the weekend. The water levels of the Rhone and its tributaries receded. "The acute phase of the crisis is over, but the recovery will take some time," said the head of the cantonal command staff, Marie-Claude Noth-Ecoeur, Keystone-SDA.
Bernese civil defense reinforcements
Around 350 members of the military and civil defense were deployed throughout Valais to repair the infrastructure and clear away debris and mud. On Monday morning, around 160 members of the Bernese civil defense arrived in Upper Valais to help with the clean-up work in Goms and Saas-Grund.
The situation also calmed down in the Engadin. On Monday, all cantonal roads were passable again and the water had also receded from St. Moritz-Bad. On Sunday, part of the village was up to half a meter deep under water because the Ovel da Tegiatscha mountain stream had burst its banks. Damage amounting to several hundred thousand francs was caused, particularly to the historic Forum Paracelsus drinking hall.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic