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Severe weather in Losone: Switzerland has been struggling with heavy rainfall and its consequences in many places in recent days
Photo: Samuel Golay / dpa
A landslide after heavy rainfall has buried or destroyed half a dozen houses in the village of Schwanden in Switzerland. Late Tuesday afternoon, large amounts of mud and debris slid down the slope in the canton of Glarus in the east of the country, the cantonal police said.
A few hours later, more masses of earth followed. The landslide had extended over a length of more than 400 meters. No one was injured in the incident, according to police. Three houses have been completely buried, reports the broadcaster SRF, among others.
Second landslide within a short period of time
After a landslide last week in the same area, five houses and two businesses had already been evacuated, as reported by the Keystone-ATS news agency. Since then, people have not been allowed to return to their homes. After the landslide on Tuesday, another hundred or so people had to leave their homes as a precaution.
Video footage published in Swiss media shows how masses of earth and debris uproot trees and damage buildings. The full extent of the damage is not yet known.
In Switzerland, large amounts of rain had fallen in recent days. In many places, the situation is normalizing, the Gotthard Pass, which has been closed since Monday, was reopened on Tuesday, as the Ticino cantonal police told Keystone-ATS.
bbr/AFP