Parts of Switzerland and Germany waterlogged as heavy rains continue

View of flooding near Frauenfeld, Switzerland, on June 1, 2024. Keystone

Heavy rains continue to affect northeastern Switzerland and the centre of the country. Flooding, landslides and damage to infrastructure have been reported. Further rains are forecast on Sunday.

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In eastern Switzerland, several roads were hit by landslides or flooding on Saturday as well as roads in cantons Zurich, St Gallen and Thurgau, Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) announced.

Since Friday evening there has been a significant risk of flooding on the Rhine River from Lake Constance to Basel and on the Thur River from the Sitter estuary to the Rhine.

+ Flooding risks in parts of Switzerland and Germany after heavy rains

The danger is not over yet, a spokesperson for the Thurgau cantonal police told Swiss public radio, SRF. Around 150 reports of damage have been received. There have been no injuries. The Thurgau cantonal police advise residents to continue to be cautious and not to go too close to the banks.

+ Urban flooding slowly becomes a priority issue for Switzerland

On Friday evening, the federal government’s natural hazards platform issued a flood risk level of 3 out of 5 for the Rhine and Thur. At this risk level, the federal government advises people to stay away from the water.

+ How Switzerland beefed up its flood defences

According to the federal government, there is a moderate flood risk level 2 for: Lake Constance (Upper and Lower Lake), Lake Zurich, Sihl from Adliswil to the Limmat estuary, Limmat from Lake Zurich to the Aare estuary, Lake Lucerne, Reuss from Lake Lucerne to the Aare estuary and the Aare from Lake Biel to the Rhine estuary.

Southern Germany under water

Southern Germany has also been affected by days of continuous rainfall. Emergency workers have been deployed in southern Germany to deal with overflowing rivers and streams. A firefighter has died in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm in Upper Bavaria.

By late Saturday evening, ten municipalities in Bavaria had declared a state of emergency because the Danube River and several of its tributaries were swelling dangerously. The situation is becoming particularly critical in the Swabia region.

The German Weather Service (DWD) said on Saturday that new showers and thunderstorms were moving in from the north, which would bring with them the risk of local flooding, especially on Sunday afternoon. The Swabian Alb and areas slightly north of it, as well as the region around Augsburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg, are particularly at risk from the showers and thunderstorms announced for Sunday.

Adpated from German by DeepL/sb

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