27.08.2005

What a wet week

Floods sweep Switzerland
A Vertikal reader sent us a dramatic photograph that demonstrates the extent of this weeks floods in Switzerland.
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At least six people are reported dead or missing, including two firefighters killed by a mudslide on Monday. Floods halted rail services through the Alps towards Italy and several major roads were closed and villages cut off.
Floods have also hit towns in Austria and southern Germany and continue to affect Bulgaria and Romania.
The area affected in Switzerland stretches from the Bernese Alps to St Gallen in the north-east. Torrential rain has lashed Switzerland for nearly three days, hampering efforts to clear debris and shore up flood defences.
Shipping on part of the River Rhine - flowing into France and Germany - was also halted after the water level rose.