Violent thunderstorms struck vast swathes of French-speaking Switzerland late Monday causing major flooding that prompted scores of evacuation requests.
The southwestern city of Sion was particularly hard hit with hundreds of cellars flooding in the wine-making region.
Office workers had to be evacuated by firefighters, according to Swiss Public Radio, RTS. Police recorded more than a thousand calls and evacuation requests in the span of two-hours.
Torrential rains also inundated the train station and water levels rose so high that cars got stuck in the streets of Sion, the capital of canton Valais.
Rain currents filled with rubble and stones littered roads and chocked off major arteries, including the scenic Great St. Bernard Pass which snakes across the Alps connecting Switzerland to Italy.
Repair works are still underway.
External Content
Heavy rains and violent winds pummeled the Lake Geneva area with wind gusts of over 90 km/hour hitting Le Bouveret and 40 mm or rain documented in Prangins, according to MétéoSuisse.
In Vevey, a town on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, sailboats ran aground in front of the market square.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Temperatures climb to record levels
This content was published on
The town of Sion in southwestern Switzerland registered 36.2°C (97.2°Fahrenheit) on Sunday, according to the local weather station. The record for Sion is 37.8°C. And in 2003, temperatures rose to 41.5°C in southeastern Switzerland and 39.7°C in Geneva in 2015. Meteonews expects afternoon temperatures above 35°C and at least 20°C at night in lower-lying regions…
This content was published on
Farmers want the government to introduce emergency measures to offset the problems for agricultural production caused by the ongoing heatwave.
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss has issued a heat warning for the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, as the country continues to suffer the effects of the heat.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.