Heavy rain and thunderstorms swept over parts of Switzerland on Monday evening. The Emmental was particularly affected.
lips Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit parts of Switzerland on Monday. The cantons of Bern and Solothurn were particularly hard hit. Due to the situation, the federal government on the Emme warned of high water and a tidal wave with a lot of driftwood. Videos on social networks show how the river soon carries massive amounts of water and trees with it. The level at the Eggiwil measuring station rose by around two meters and thus into the highest danger zone, as figures from the Federal Office for the Environment demonstrate.
The population had been instructed to leave the area and avoid being near bodies of water. The warning has since been lifted. However, caution is still required on watercourses, writes Alertswiss.
If the #Anschutz comes. #Emme. Thank you Chlöisu Hofer. ^chs pic.twitter.com/dvPrZ83TVn
— SRF Meteo (@srfmeteo) July 4, 2022
The weather also had an impact on traffic. A train derailed in the Brienz region on Monday after colliding with a tree that had fallen on the tracks. As a result of a debris flow, the railway line is interrupted, as the cantonal police in Bern announced on Twitter on Monday evening. There are replacement buses.
The main road between Ringgenberg and Brienz was also closed. So far there have been no reports of injured persons.
Debris flow as a result of heavy rainfall in #Brienz: The railway line is interrupted and the main road between Oberried and Brienz is closed. A parked car was washed into the lake. Currently no knowledge of injured persons. We are in action with the Brienz fire brigade. pic.twitter.com/zK0YardsTY
— Bern Canton Police (@PoliceBern) July 4, 2022
There were also floods in central Switzerland. For example, the Lucerne agglomeration municipality of Kriens reported that several streams had burst their banks.
Restaurant remains closed until further notice
The Emmental was badly affected by the storm. Roads and bridges were temporarily impassable, the authorities said. The Kemmeribodenbad restaurant in Schangnau, a popular excursion destination in the region, was also affected. As the country inn writes on its website, the “catastrophic storm” completely flooded the restaurant and hotel on the ground floor. It will therefore remain closed until further notice.
Staff and guests of the hotel as well as the residents of the Schwand farm could have gotten to safety, the Emmental government official announced on Monday. The clean-up work is in progress, but there are no estimates of the amount of damage. The authorities promised more information at a media conference on Tuesday afternoon.