Heavy wave of bad weather in north-western Italy between Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, with peaks of torrential rain also on the Swiss border. Many families evacuated and roads closed due to landslides. Several shepherds remained isolated during the night in Piedmont and in Switzerland there were also deaths.
Bad weather in Aosta Valley
More damage is recorded in the autonomous region, where several communities are isolated. Among these is Cogne, following a landslide recorded in the Epinel hamlet, along a road that leads to Gran Paradiso. Along with the blocking of the municipal roads of Lillaz and Valnontey, due to another landslide that hit Teuf. The firefighters have been working since yesterday evening to try to restore the situation and allow the approximately 1,300 residents, and many tourists, to move around.
Valtournenche is one of the areas most affected by the rains, which swelled the Dora Baltea basin, forcing the evacuation of at least two families due to the flooding. State road 26 is still closed to traffic but the stop in the rain is facilitating the return of the waters, which as they retreat are leaving debris of all kinds on the road surface. There are difficulties in reaching Bard, Donnas and Champdepraz. Reopenings are expected in the next few hours.
Bad weather in Piedmont
The areas of Piedmont most affected are Turin and Ossola. A landslide fell between San Domenico di Varzo and the locality of Nembro a Varzo, on the Rio Croso, along the road that goes up to Alpe Veglia, where several tourists were stranded for the night.
The Simplon Pass is currently impassable due to a debris flow that has poured onto the Swiss side of the road and shows no signs of abating, therefore it is not possible to assess the extent of the damage or even make predictions about reopening. In the Turin area, in Locana, 37 people were transferred from a restaurant that was isolated following a landslide, while in Chialamberto a condominium of 50 people was evacuated due to the risk of flooding.
