Flood in Mesolcina: «We have no news of the couple», he resumed the search outside their house

The searches for the two missing people, following the flood in Mesolcina, were suspended on Monday around 9pm and resumed on Tuesday morning around 8am. Solutions are being sought in order to find sites to deposit the cleared debris. Limited traffic between Lostallo and Mesocco. Signs of the flood reach as far as Lake Maggiore.

“We still have no news from the couple,” the mayor of Lostallo confirmed to RSI Nicola Giudicetti Monday evening. Husband and wife, he specifies, had been living in that house for a few months, after they had bought it about a year ago and subsequently renovated it. “I am saddened by the situation that has been created for the son and daughter.”

From the early hours of Monday morning, rescue operations were concentrated near the home of the two missing people, a middle-aged wife and husband. The hypothesis was that they were under the debris that engulfed the house.

But access to housing is not at all easy. Rescuers had to use an excavator to open a hole in one wall of the building to begin clearing it of the debris that filled it.

Thanks to the hole in the wall, excavation began on the ground floor of the house. However, first the construction had to be made safe to prevent it from collapsing on the rescuers.

The search outside the house resumed

The search for the couple resumed around 8 this morning. Rescuers inspected almost the entire building on Monday and this morning, Tuesday, they will focus on the area between the house and the river.

Around twenty people from the three Moesano fire brigades (Calanca, Bassa Mesolcina, Alta Mesolcina) took part in the operations, assisted by the Swiss Alpine Rescue.

In addition to the three fire engines, private diggers are employed. Rescuers plan to report to the General Staff in the early afternoon.

Where to put the debris?

Regarding the debris that has reached the valley, the mayor explains that the cleaning of the storage basins continues and it is being defined where the materials taken away from the affected areas will be placed.

«These are enormous quantities, we can’t simply move them ten metres. A permanent settlement will need to be found, as was done in Bondo. This is one of the priorities, in addition to the current emergency, to be able to continue this work in the coming weeks and months.”

Limited traffic between Lostallo and Mesocco

Traffic between Lostallo and Mesocco is limited for all means of transport, but with some exceptions, for example for those who live and work in Lostallo, Soazza and Mesocco.

In Roveredo, however, the Roggiasca road was closed until further notice starting from the Albionasca bridge. While the Calanca valley can only be reached from Bellinzona via the A13 and H13.

Due to the damage reported, the A13 motorway will remain closed for several weeks.

Until further notice, the paths and cycle paths in the mountains and at the bottom of the Mesolcina valley are closed. Among them those of Val Leggia, Val Grono, Val Cama.

The signs of the flood reach the Verbano area

The power and extent of the floods of recent days in Mesolcina were also clearly visible on Monday in the gulf of Lake Locarno.

The debris brought by the Ticino river reached here. Connections on the Verbano were guaranteed to passengers, but there were some navigation difficulties.

On Saturday morning, just before 7am, the Consortium Cleaning the banks and the body of water of Lake Verbano immediately started the work to recover the debris and clean the lake.

Weather permitting, the bulk of the recovery work should be completed within about a week. Meanwhile, users of Lake Maggiore must pay particular attention.

Swisstxt / pab