Switzerland travel advisory: Heavy rains trigger floods and landslides, blocking roads

As per the latest news reports, Switzerland is on high alert following severe rainfall that caused extensive damage, including a landslide that buried part of a southeastern village.

The Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology has issued flood warnings, highlighting the continued risk due to saturated soil unable to absorb additional rain. Local media have broadcasted images and videos of overflowing rivers, a collapsed motorway, and debris covering the Misox valley in Graubuenden.

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If reports are to go by, the intense rainfall also temporarily isolated the renowned tourist town of Zermatt, near the Matterhorn, by blocking access routes. Rail services to Zermatt resumed on Saturday evening, reports add.

Referring to this, Swiss President Viola Amherd described the devastation as shocking in a post on social media platform X. Swiss Army personnel have been mobilised to search for missing individuals and evacuate affected residents.

This flooding follows similar weather-related disruptions in neighbouring Germany, where persistent rain recently caused widespread flooding, halting rail services and affecting shipping on the crucial Rhine and Danube routes.

In Zermatt, located in the Valais canton and close to the Matterhorn, rail traffic was suspended for over 24 hours, and schools were closed due to flooding. Both the railway and the main road into the town were blocked temporarily.

The Vispa river, a tributary of the Rhone, overflowed, leading authorities to declare a state of emergency for the Rhone and its tributaries. Marie-Claude Noth-Ecoeur, head of the Valais civil protection service, stated that by late Friday, 230 people had been evacuated from their homes. Rescue operations involved over 200 firefighters and 50 civil protection workers.

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The Swiss news agency SDA provided detailed coverage of the emergency response, highlighting the scale of the operation in the Misox valley and other affected areas. Video and photographic evidence depicted the severity of the situation, including submerged areas, collapsed infrastructure, and widespread debris.

The Swiss government and emergency services are on high alert, continuing efforts to manage the aftermath of the flooding and prepare for any further incidents. This series of extreme weather events underscores the region’s vulnerability to heavy rainfall and the critical importance of emergency preparedness and response mechanisms.