Storms in Switzerland and Italy cause flooding and landslides, leaving at least 4 people dead

BERLIN (AP) — Storms in Switzerland and northern Italy caused extensive flooding and landslides, leaving at least four people dead, authorities said Sunday.

The bodies of three people were recovered following a landslide in the Fontana area of the Maggia valley in the Italian-speaking Ticino canton (state) on the southern side of the Alps. Storms and heavy rain pounded southern and western Switzerland on Saturday and overnight.

Camping sites along the Maggia River were evacuated, and part of the small Visletto road bridge collapsed. One person was missing in the nearby Lavizzara valley.

Farther north, the Rhone River burst its banks in several areas of Valais canton, flooding a highway and a railway line.

Police said that side valleys south of the Rhone saw particularly heavy rain, and the body of a man whose partner had reported him missing was found early Sunday at a hotel in the Alpine resort of Saas-Grund. They said he is believed to have been caught by surprise by floodwaters.

Another man has been missing since Saturday evening in the Binn area, in the upper Rhone valley near the Italian border, police said.

Floods, thunderstorms and landslides also hit various regions in northern Italy. Firefighters said they carried out about 80 rescue operations, evacuating dozens of people in the northern Piedmont region.

Between Montanaro and San Benigno Canavese, two adults and a 3-month-old girl were rescued after the rising waters of the Orco torrent left them stuck in their car, firefighters said. Several villages were isolated due to overflowing streams, storms and landslides in the Valle D’Aosta region.

The Associated Press