Authorities urge vigilance after heavy snowfall in southern Switzerland

Several avalanches have been reported in the canton, particularly in the Upper Valais, said cantonal authorities. Keystone-SDA

Vigilance remains the order of the day in the southern canton of Valais, despite a stable situation after heavy snow on Thursday. The Great St. Bernard tunnel is closed until at least next Friday due to an avalanche. There is also still a risk of falling trees.

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“The Great St. Bernard tunnel will remain closed until next Friday,” cantonal police spokesperson Stève Léger told news agency Keystone-SDA on Saturday. The tunnel was closed on Friday after an avalanche in the Toules gallery. The Simplon pass reopened late on Friday afternoon.

+ Great St. Bernard pass between Switzerland and Italy closed due to avalanche

Several avalanches have been reported in the canton, particularly in the Upper Valais, explained Léger. The risk of avalanches remains high, with heavy snowmelt expected between Saturday and Sunday.

One-and-a-half calls per minute

There is also still a real danger of falling trees. The police are advising the public to avoid walking in the forest, at least until Tuesday. The situation is otherwise “generally quite good”, said Léger. The level of the Rhone river remains normal. The side rivers are still on alert.

+ Excessive snowfall in Switzerland caps exceptional year in weather

No injuries have been reported as a result of the bad weather, despite an impressive number of calls to the emergency centre. Between Wednesday and Friday, the centre received 4,695 calls, or one-and-a-half calls per minute, for 525 assignments.

The situation in Zermatt, which has been cut off from the rest of the world since the snowfall, was due to be assessed on Saturday. The Saas Valley should be reopened later in the day, according to statements made by Christophe Darbellay, a member of the Valais cantonal government, on Friday evening.

Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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