At least seven people died as ferocious and torrential rain lashed France, Switzerland, and Italy, the news agency AFP reported early Monday (July 1) citing authorities. Police in Switzerland said that three people died after torrential rain triggered a landslide in southeastern Switzerland.
Elsewhere in the country, a man was found dead in a hotel in Saas-Grund in the southwest canton of Valais, the police added.
In France, three people in their 70s and 80s died in the northeastern Aube region on Saturday when a falling tree crushed the car they were travelling in. A fourth passenger in the vehicle is in critical care.
Meanwhile, in Italy, Piedmont and the Aosta Valley suffered flooding and mudslides. However, no deaths were reported. Firefighters in Piedmont said on Sunday that they had carried out 80 operations to rescue people in difficulty.
Hundreds evacuated in Switzerland
Switzerland’s civil security services said that hundreds were evacuated in the southern canton of Valais and roads closed after the Rhone and its tributaries overflowed in different locations.
The situation in Valais was under control but authorities warned that it would remain fragile for the next several days, AFP reported.
Emergency services were assessing the best way to evacuate 300 people who had arrived for a football tournament in Peccia. In Ticino, some 400 people — including 40 children from a holiday camp — had to be evacuated from risk areas and taken to civil protection centres.
(With inputs from agencies)