Switzerland tackles clean-up after deadly weekend storm

Switzerland was on Monday tackling major clean-up operations after the worst storm in decades killed 12 people and wreaked havoc with road, rail and air traffic.

Switzerland was on Monday tackling major clean-up operations after the worst storm in decades killed 12 people and wreaked havoc with road, rail and air traffic.

Tens of thousands of people were still without power Monday morning, even though police, firefighters and volunteers worked round the clock to repair damage caused by hurricane-force winds of up to 248 kmh (155 mph) in the mountains, and nearly 150 kmh (94 mph) in the low-lying areas.

Rescue teams described the weather system – which also caused a number of deaths in France and Germany over the weekend — as the worst in living memory.

Experts estimate that the damage to buildings alone will total up to SFr150 million ($95 million), and that millions more will likely be paid out by insurance companies for agriculture damages.

The Swiss Red Cross and the Roman Catholic charity Caritas on Monday provided some financial support for those most in need.

The government on Sunday night expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and pledged additional support for cantonal emergency and reconstruction efforts. In some regions of Switzerland, civil protection shelters were opened up overnight.

The storm took many Swiss by surprise. Most of the deaths were caused by falling trees and debris that hit car drivers or people out for a walk.

A 66-year-old man working on his roof was killed in Neuheim, in canton Zug, when a sudden gust of wind ripped away the top of his house and blew him to the ground.

Near the popular ski resort of Crans-Montana, two people were killed when an uprooted tree crashed into a cable and sent the gondola they were travelling in smashing to the ground 12 metres (yards) below. Three people were hospitalised — one in a serious condition – in what was described as the worst such accident in five years. Police have launched an investigation into the accident.

Police in Zurich said that a 51-year-old man was killed by falling tiles while swimming in a pool in Dielsdorf.

The authorities registered thousands of damage calls as the storm winds uprooted trees, snapped power pylons and blew off roofs and scaffolding.

Dozens of key railway lines and many major road links had been blocked at the weekend, mostly by falling trees, and air traffic came to a temporary standstill.

“Kurt” is considered the worst storm since 1990, when five people were killed in what was then described the “storm of the century.”

From staff and wire reports.