Swiss storms force evacuation of 70 people in Brienz

Stormy weather sparked the evacuation of 70 people from the town of Brienz in Switzerland. Only two people were injured.

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No-one was reported missing in Brienz in the Bernese Oberland, the authorities said on Tuesday morning. On Monday evening, storms damaged buildings, parked vehicles and public transport infrastructure. Residents took refuge in a gymnasium.

At around 6.30pm, the Milibach river burst its banks. Boulders and wood were swept into various parts of the town. For safety reasons, residents are recommended to boil drinking water.

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Rail and lake connections to and from Brienz were interrupted.

Central Switzerland not spared

Thunderstorms also broke out in the canton of Uri. A landslide occurred on Monday evening on the Axenstrasse between Flüelen and Sisikon, on the shores of Lake Lucerne. The main road was closed in the area, reported the police and the Federal Roads Office on the Alertsuisse alert application.

Axenstrasse, an important access road to the A2 freeway was also closed as the extent of the damage was assessed.

Jérôme Jacky, Head of Information and Communications at the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), told Keystone-ATS on Tuesday that helicopter flights were being used for this purpose. In particular, rockfall protection nets and any damage to infrastructure are being checked.

At around 8:00pm on Monday, the monitoring instruments detected ground movements in the “Gumpisch” area, according to the Uri Cantonal Police. The road was then closed and traffic diverted. According to preliminary findings, no roads or bridges were damaged. There were no injuries either.

Flights diverted

As a result of the violent storms, Zurich airport diverted 20 flights. Another effect of the storm on the Kloten region was that departures had to be postponed, as airport employees were unable to finish preparing the aircraft. For safety reasons, they are not allowed to stay outside during heavy thunderstorms, said an airport spokesman.

The canton of Aargau also had to deal with the consequences of a violent thunderstorm on Monday evening, accompanied by heavy rain and gusty winds. Between 8:30 and 11:00 pm, emergency services were alerted to numerous flooded cellars, blown-down building barriers and fallen trees.

Some 30 fire departments responded at 150 locations. No one was injured. On Tuesday morning, the railroad underpass at Wildegg and a secondary road at Murgenthal were still closed. Traffic detour are in place. Authorities were still unsure on Monday evening when these two roads might reopen.

Across Switzerland, over 70,000 lightning flashes were recorded by MeteoSwiss during Monday evening’s thunderstorms. One of them, particularly spectacular, rose from the transmitter tower at Uetliberg ZH, reported MeteoSwiss early Tuesday morning on the X platform.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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