Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Two days after the devastating earthquake in Venezuela, the death toll continues to rise, with tens of thousands of people still missing. International rescue teams are arriving to search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Among them are 80 members of Swiss Rescue, who landed in Caracas around midday today.
Time is critical – and for those affected, the road to recovery will be long.
Following two devastating earthquakes, 80 members of Swiss Rescue departed for Venezuela last night with search dogs and specialised rescue equipment. Their mission is clear: to save lives.
Even more than 42 hours after the earthquakes, people can still be found alive beneath the rubble, says operations manager Sebastian Eugster. However, the extreme heat is making rescue efforts increasingly difficult.
“Heat builds up in the rubble, meaning survivors cannot survive long without water,” Eugster explains.
Shortly after midday Swiss time today, the Swiss rescue team’s special flight landed in Caracas. The mission is expected to last ten days. A Rega jet had already departed on Thursday evening carrying seven members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, who will assess the situation on the ground and facilitate the deployment of the rescue team.
Switzerland is one of several countries to send rescue personnel, alongside El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Germany and Mexico. Swiss aid organisations have also mobilised. Swiss Solidarity has launched an online fundraising campaign and says its immediate focus will be on emergency assistance, including temporary shelter, clean drinking water and medical care. Longer-term support will be considered as the situation develops, CH Media reports.
Switzerland’s security situation continues to deteriorate, according to the latest annual report from the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).
“Russia remains the greatest and most acute threat to Europe. Its hybrid warfare is becoming more aggressive and is directly affecting Switzerland,” states the report Security in Switzerland 2026.
The report highlights threats ranging from cyberattacks and espionage to attacks on critical infrastructure, violent extremism and terrorism.
Russia also continues to use Switzerland as an intelligence hub, gathering information on other countries and international organisations. According to FIS director Serge Bavaud, Russian state media outlet Russia Today published around 25% more articles about Switzerland in 2025 than the previous year, often portraying the country as being in decline.
Threats are also emerging from further afield. Within a few years, Iranian missiles could potentially reach large parts of Europe. “Switzerland’s protective environment is eroding,” Bavaud said.
More than in previous years, the intelligence service also highlights uncertainty surrounding the United States under President Donald Trump. “American foreign and security policy has become unpredictable and less reliable,” Bavaud said, arguing that the Trump administration is moving away from the rules-based international order.
Switzerland’s glaciers are also suffering from the current heatwave. According to new calculations, they could exhaust their winter snow reserves as early as next Monday – the second-earliest glacier melt day ever recorded.
Glacier melt day marks the point at which glaciers have lost all the snow accumulated over the previous winter. Normally, this is not reached until August, glacier researcher Matthias Huss told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Currently, Switzerland’s glaciers are releasing enough meltwater to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every six seconds.
The exceptionally early melt is not solely the result of this week’s high temperatures. “We once again had a winter with far too little snow, meaning the glaciers’ protective layer is unusually thin,” Huss explained. An early start to summer, including the first lowland heatwave in May, has further accelerated melting.
The current heatwave is now compounding those conditions.
“All the warm temperatures we are almost certain to experience in July and August will directly translate into long-term glacier loss,” Huss said. One thing is already certain, he added: Switzerland’s glaciers will lose a significant amount of ice in 2026.
Travelling through Zurich Airport has just become a little easier. New security screening rules for liquids in hand luggage came into force today, although there are still a few exceptions.
Passengers can now carry liquids such as water, shampoo and creams in containers of up to two litres. Electronic devices and liquids can also remain inside hand luggage during security screening.
The changes are possible thanks to a new generation of computed tomography (CT) scanners, making Zurich Airport “one of Europe’s pioneers in combining modern security technology with the smoothest possible travel experience”, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes.
There are, however, some exceptions. Double-walled bottles, including thermos flasks, must still be empty because the scanners cannot reliably identify their contents. Analogue film should also be presented separately for manual inspection, as CT scanners may damage it.
The new rules also do not apply to transfer passengers. Anyone changing planes in Zurich remains subject to the previous liquid restrictions. Likewise, travellers departing from airports that have not yet installed CT scanners will still need to follow the old rules.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Alexandra MV Andrist/ts
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