Swiss volunteers mobilise to help flood victims in Italy
The Ticino residents who are lending a hand in Italy have been nicknamed the "angels of the mud" by the Italian media.
Keystone / Fabrizio Zani
Residents of the Italian-speaking canton Ticino have traveled to northern Italy to help emergency teams as they rush to rescue people affected by severe flooding.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/RTS/jdp
Nicknamed by the Italian media as “Angeli del fango”, the angels of the mudExternal link, Ticino residents armed with shovels and brooms have been clearing streets and shoveling debris out of houses and businesses in northern Italy after heavy rains caused severe flooding. According to Swiss public television RTS around a dozen people from the Emilia-Romagna association in Ticino have traveled to Bologna.
As of Saturday morning, 14 people had died in the floods or from landslides and thousands have been left homeless. Rescuers have been working for days to save people trapped in their homes but another downpour on Friday complicated rescue efforts. The flooding in the Emilia-Romagna region has been described as the most severe flooding to affect ItalyExternal link in 100 years.
Swiss solidarity
Swiss president Alain Berset expressed shock over the flooding and offered solidarity with Switzerland’s southern neighbour.
The images of the devastating floods in the Emilia-Romagna region “shock and dismay us,” Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
“Our thoughts are with our neighbours and we express our solidarity with those affected and their families,” he added in Italian.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
Uri voters clear path for hotel and marina complex in central Switzerland
This content was published on
Voters in canton Uri in central Switzerland have rejected a Green Party initiative aimed at regulating the development of the lakeside site in Isleten.
Valais voters reject plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland have turned down a proposal for the region to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Ticino: Pensioners want to leave
This content was published on
They want to get out of the sunny region as quickly as possible. Many older German-speaking Swiss want to leave Ticino. But it is not always easy.
This content was published on
Ticino was the first Swiss region to be affected by increased mortality, as early as March 9, following the Covid-19 outbreak.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.