One dead, two missing after landslide in Switzerland
Police in the southeastern canton of Graubünden said on Sunday that one of the three missing people following a landslide was found dead in a river. The search for two other missing people is still ongoing.
The police announced the news during a press conference near the site of the landslide, which occurred in Misox valley in the southern tip of Graubünden. The relatives of the man who died in the landslide have been informed.
“It is clear that the more time that passes, the chances of finding them alive are slim,” said William Kloter, head of operations for the Graubünden cantonal police. However, he indicated that the search continues and that they remained hopeful.
Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who is from the southern canton of Ticino, also spoke to the media. He expressed his solidarity and said it was a “sad day” for the affected communities, the cantons of Graubünden and Ticino and the whole of Switzerland.
On Friday evening, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall caused high water levels in the region, as in other areas of Switzerland.
+ Read more: the deadliest landslides in Swiss history
The zone in which police and firefighters were called to intervene stretched across almost 20 kilometres. Three houses were swept away by the landslide. One woman was rescued by emergency services and transferred to hospital. She left the intensive unit on Sunday.
Rescue forces on site have been searching the site for missing people with the help of helicopters and drones.
Elsewhere in the southern canton of Valais, well-known tourist destination Zermatt was inaccessible after the road and rail line leading to the town were shut due to the effects of flooding.
Adapted from French by DeepL/dos/jdp
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