The search for missing persons in Ticino is suspended for the moment
Published: Wednesday, Jul 10th 2024, 18:00
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The search for the remaining three people reported missing in the Maggia Valley was interrupted on Wednesday. As a temporary replacement following the destruction of the Visletto bridge, a provisional bridge is to be built over the Maggia in the coming weeks. However, there is still no concrete timetable for this. Meanwhile, the end of the "special situation" was announced in Valais.
At a media conference in Locarno TI, the head of the Ticino crisis unit, Antonio Ciocco, explained that the search for the missing persons could be resumed at any time. However, it would make no sense to extend the search to the entire Maggia Valley.
Two of the missing persons found dead had been in completely different places, but had both been recovered near Riveo. This fact shows that the emergency team had to search a "huge area" without any clues.
Replacement bridge still without a timetable
The Swiss army is responsible for the construction of the temporary bridge over the Maggia. However, the Ticino emergency staff were unable to present a timetable on Wednesday. On the one hand, the construction of such a bridge normally takes several months, said Diego Rodoni, head of the civil engineering department.
On the other hand, it is not yet clear what kind of subsoil will be found below the surface. Due to the high water level of the Maggia, these investigations could not have been carried out so quickly.
The discharge of the Maggia measured during the storm ten days ago was the highest ever recorded. This was stated by Ticino cantonal geologist Andrea Pedrazzini. According to the report, the Maggia exceeded the flow rate of 800 to 900 cubic meters per second at the measuring station near Bignasco in the upper Maggia Valley at the time of the storm.
The head of the Ticino Building and Environment Department, Claudio Zali, saw the need for new safety precautions and a new alarm system due to the storms. The increased frequency of such storms is the result of climate change.
End of the "special situation"
The situation in Valais looks better. The cantonal government declared the end of the so-called "special situation". It had announced this situation on June 30 during the flooding of the Rhone and its tributaries.
Although numerous repair works are still underway, the situation has currently stabilized, the canton of Valais announced. For this reason, the State Council has decided to lift the "special situation". This status allows the canton to deploy additional resources in the event of damage and to request the help of the army.
As planned, the Swiss Armed Forces will end their disaster relief mission on Wednesday. A total of 157 members of the army have been deployed throughout the canton since the beginning of last week.
The municipalities of Goms and Val de Bagnes have asked for further support. Initial contacts have been made between the army and the municipalities, said Jean-Claude Gagliardi, head of operations for the army, to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. "We will examine the feasibility of this support. If the applications are successful, the duration of the operation will be discussed with the applicants."
Train line remains interrupted
The railroad line between Visp and Täsch in Upper Valais will remain closed until at least mid-August. The Vispa river and its tributaries flowing through the Mattertal valley caused considerable damage at several points along the line during the floods.
"The situation between Kalpetran and St. Niklaus is particularly critical," said Egon Gsponer, Head of Infrastructure at the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway. Repairing the tracks is difficult because the extent of the damage and the difficult access to these locations make it difficult to transport materials and construction machinery.
©Keystone/SDA
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