Gondo buries flood victims

The first victims from Gondo were buried at the weekend Keystone

The inhabitants of the tiny alpine village of Gondo in canton Valais have held funerals for six of their neighbours, who died when floods and mudslides wiped out a third of their village 11 days ago.

The funerals for the six victims follow the burials of three others last weekend. All were killed during recent floods, which left a trail of destruction across the Valais.

Rescue teams are still trying to locate the bodies of three missing villagers. The search has been shifted to the lower part of the village, near the Diveria River, but rescuers say work is difficult because the area is strewn with mud and rocks.

Elsewhere in the Valais, life is returning to normal. Much of the debris left behind by the floods has been cleared away, and communications are also being re-established.

The Federal Railways will allow regional trains to run between Brig and Leuk as of Wednesday, although the line between Leuk and Sierre will remain closed for the time being.

swissinfo