Solidarity Chain sets new donation record

Most of the money will go toward reconstruction projects Keystone

The fundraising arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation has raised SFr51.2 million ($29 million) in aid donations to help regions devastated by the recent flooding, breaking all records.

“It is an unrivalled achievement,” the Corporation’s Solidarity Chain said in a statement.

The amount raised surpasses the Solidarity Chain’s previous record of SFr49 million raised last year for victims of the war in Kosovo.

The money collected for the affected regions of canton Valais, Ticino and the Italian region of Val d’Aosta showed Swiss people’s “extraordinary solidarity” with the victims of the storms, the organisation said.

It said the money would be “distributed fairly and put to good use”.

Half a million francs in emergency aid is already available. The bulk of the money is set to go towards reconstruction projects, particularly where damage was not covered by insurance.

Heavy rains triggered mudslides and floods in the Swiss Alps on October 14 that killed 13 people in the small village of Gondo alone.

swissinfo with agencies