Disastrous bad weather in Canton Ticino: 2 dead and one missing, hundreds of people evacuated. During the night just passed, violent storms hit the Vallemaggia. In particular, a major landslide was reported in the Fontana area. Rescue operations are made particularly difficult by the bad weather conditions. The cantonal road is blocked by the Visletto bridge, swept away and knocked down by the waters. The Bavona, Lavizzara and Campo valleys are therefore not reachable by land. Furthermore, the campsites along the Maggia river have been evacuated. In the most affected area, communications and electricity are interrupted. To facilitate rescue operations, the population has been invited to reduce travel to a minimum and not to go to the places affected by the bad weather.
The cantonal police then announced in the morning that in connection with the landslide that occurred in the Fontana area, the bodies of two people, currently being identified, were recovered by Rega rescuers. The search is active for a third person who is missing. In Mogno there is a summer camp which welcomes around seventy people while in Peccia there are around 300 people, present for the local football tournament. In both cases no one suffered any consequences. The evacuation of the colony is underway while the methods for that relating to the people present in Peccia are currently being examined. There will be regular updates on the situation from the cantonal police throughout the day.
