According to estimates by the emergency services, new storms in the Swiss canton of Ticino could endanger human lives this weekend, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of almost an entire valley.
Residents of the Bavona Valley, in the upper Maggia Valley, are now being flown out in helicopters, cantonal police said. As a precaution, it was decided to bring almost all of the valley’s residents to safety. Access roads will have to be closed, it was said on Friday.
Three holidaymakers killed after landslide
A week ago, three German holidaymakers died in Fontana in the Bavona Valley. A landslide caused by devastating rains had swept away their accommodation. Further down the valley, water from the Maggia River had caused part of a bridge to collapse. The Maggia flows into Lake Maggiore near Locarno.
The terrain in the Bavona Valley changed significantly last Friday due to the waters of a small tributary of the Maggia. The tributary had swelled considerably and flooded the area. According to the cantonal police, it is now difficult to predict what will happen with new, even less intense rainfall.
There are only a few small villages in the valley
Police did not say how many people were affected or how many tourists might still be in the area. In the remote Bavona Valley, there are only a few small hamlets (settlements consisting of just a few buildings, mind you). In Ascona, an emergency room is being set up for people who cannot stay with friends or family.
Source: Krone
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