70 people evacuated in Brienz – Axenstrasse closed
Published: Tuesday, Aug 13th 2024, 08:00
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After severe thunderstorms on Monday evening, 70 people were evacuated from their homes in Brienz BE. Two people were injured. Planes had to be diverted at Zurich Airport due to the storm. And the Axenstrasse was closed due to a rockfall.
The 70 people were evacuated from their homes to a gymnasium. Two people suffered minor to moderate injuries, according to a statement from the region's management body on Tuesday morning. No people are missing, according to a statement from the Upper Lake Brienz Regional Command Organ (RFO). The RFO will provide further information on the storm to the media this morning.
Evacuations in Brienz
Buildings, parked vehicles, roads and public transport infrastructure were damaged by a debris flow on Monday evening. At around 6.30 pm, the Milibach burst its banks in Brienz. A collector above the village was overfilled by chunks of stone and wood. The material flowed uncontrollably into various parts of the village in the Bernese Oberland municipality. For safety reasons, the RFO recommended boiling the drinking water.
Rail and boat connections to and from Brienz remain interrupted. Replacement buses are in operation. The road through Brienz is also closed in both directions. The Brienz Änderdorf area is also closed until further notice due to the ongoing danger.
At first light, a specialist will assess the situation on site. The RFO will then decide how to proceed.
The canton of Aargau also had to contend with the consequences of a heavy thunderstorm on Monday evening. According to the Touring Club Switzerland, the road between Brugg and Hausen was buried by a landslide. The road between Veltheim and Wildegg was closed due to flooding, it added. It was not clear in the evening when the two main roads would be open to traffic again.
Rockfall on Axenstrasse
There were also thunderstorms in the canton of Uri. A rockslide fell on the Axenstrasse on Lake Uri between Flüelen and Sisikon UR on Monday evening. The main road was closed in the area, as reported by the police and the Federal Roads Office on the Alertsuisse alarm app.
Under no circumstances should anyone enter the rockfall area, the press release continued. Road users should drive well clear of the area. Axenstrasse is an important feeder route to the A2 highway and thus towards the Gotthard road tunnel.
70,000 flashes - flights diverted
The federal government registered over 70,000 flashes of lightning in the Swiss sky during the violent thunderstorms on Monday evening. One particularly spectacular flash of lightning rose from the transmission tower on the Uetliberg in Zurich, as MeteoSwiss announced on Platform X early on Tuesday morning.
Zurich Airport diverted 16 flights due to the heavy thunderstorms on Monday evening. Due to a thunderstorm over the Kloten ZH region, it was temporarily not possible to handle flights at Zurich Airport, said an airport spokesperson. The grounding was for safety reasons. Airport employees are not allowed to be outdoors during heavy thunderstorms.
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