Strong rains fell on a part of the North of the Alps this weekend. In Argovie, firefighters intervened. Strokes have come out of their bed in the canton of glaris. In Valais, the rescuers saved two ropes in difficult conditions.
A mud flow near Sisikon (UR) damaged installations on the axenstrasse on Saturday morning, the Uranian cantonal police announced. The surveillance system installed in 2019 in this area notoriously exposed to stone falls automatically blocked the road at noon. After a temporary reopening until the beginning of the evening on Saturday evening, the Federal Road Office (OFROU) closed the national road to the shore of Lake Uri until Monday noon.
A helicopter flight has revealed damage to the protective works located above the new axenstrasse site. Blocks of rock threaten to collapse in the event of new precipitation.
Perilous rescues in Valais
On Saturday, specialists in the Cantonal Organization Valais Rescue (OCVS) carried out difficult operations to save two ropes. Four people were blocked in Lagginhorn, but due to a snowstorm, Air Zermatt could not recover them by helicopter.
The rescuers went up on foot, at night and in the fog, 3,200 meters above sea level to the top at more than 4000 meters. Six rescuers accompanied the four mountaineers found around 9 p.m. in a four -hour night descent towards the Weissmies hut. Air Zermatt then transported two mountaineers to the hospital overnight. The other two and the rescuers were only brought back to the valley due to the weather conditions.
On Saturday afternoon, rescuers had already recovered another rope of two people at the Weissmies. The mountaineers were lost and could no longer move forward. Two OCVS rescuers recovered them during a several hour operation and handed them over to a helicopter crew.
Strong rains and violent thunderstorms
Strong rains and thunderstorms kept firefighters in several cantons on Saturday. In the canton of Glaris, streams came out of their bed on Saturday. The water has infiltrated in cellars and underground garages.
Along the pre -Alps of central and eastern Switzerland, it fell in 48 hours between 50 and 70 liters of rain per square meter, and even 80 liters in Weesen (SG).
In the canton of Argovie, 160 messages were received in the space of three o’clock on Saturday evening. About twenty firefighters intervened for flooded cellars and underground passages and overturned trees.
Strong rains also fell on part of the Bernese Oberland, Central Switzerland and Toggenburg. Sunday afternoon, the Confederation noted its alert to the heavy rains at level 4 for Valais, the east of the Bernese Oberland, the Central Switzerland and the Canton of Glaris. This second highest alert level means “very danger” and remains valid until Tuesday morning.
