Search goes on in Gondo

More than 10 days after a mudslide swept through the village of Gondo in canton Valais, killing at least nine people, rescue teams are still searching for the bodies of three missing villagers.

The search is now concentrating on the lower part of the village, near the Diveria River. The rescuers say work has been difficult because of the large amount of mud and rocks in the area.

Crews have also been clearing away the wreckage as well as the remains of the mudslide. Their aim is to open the access to the Zwischbergen valley.

On Wednesday, the people of Gondo will bury six of their neighbours. Funerals were held for three others last Friday and Saturday.

At least 11 people died in the mudslide and in flooding in the canton in mid-October.

Elsewhere in the Valais, the village of Baltschieder is slowly returning to normal life. More than one-fifth of the 200,000 cubic metres of mud and rocks that were swept into the village have been cleared away by crews working day and night.

Communications are also being re-established. The Federal Railways will allow regional trains to run between Brig and Leuk as of Wednesday. The line is still closed between Leuk and Sierre.

swissinfo with agencies