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Switzerland landslide: Eight missing in Val Bondasca region Switzerland landslide: At least eight missing in Val Bondasca
(about 2 hours later)
Eight people are missing following a landslide in an alpine valley in south-eastern Switzerland, police say. At least eight people are missing following a landslide in an alpine valley in south-eastern Switzerland, police say.
The landslide on Wednesday forced the evacuation of a village in the Val Bondasca region, officials said.The landslide on Wednesday forced the evacuation of a village in the Val Bondasca region, officials said.
German, Austrian and Swiss citizens are among those missing, Graubünden cantonal police said in a statement.German, Austrian and Swiss citizens are among those missing, Graubünden cantonal police said in a statement.
Pictures from the scene show rocks and debris scattered across roads. A helicopter is helping in the search and rescue operation, Swiss media report. The slide area is 5km (3 miles) long and "tens of metres" high in places, police said.
The landslide happened at about 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT) on Wednesday when boulders and earth cascaded down the side of the Piz Cengalo mountain, the Engadiner Post newspaper reported. Pictures from the scene show rocks and debris scattered across roads.
The village of Bondo, near the Italian border, was among hamlets in the path of the debris and about 100 people from there were evacuated, it said. Several farm buildings were destroyed and pictures show the flow has engulfed homes and destroyed roads. Some 120 rescuers are searching for the missing on the ground with dogs and using helicopters, equipped with infrared cameras and technology to detect mobile phone signals.
Residents, who fled after alarms sounded in the village, are not allowed to return until further notice, the report added. Police say that in addition to the eight people confirmed missing, another group of up to six people could also be missing after a relative said they were in the area but could not be contacted.
Hikers staying in mountain huts were airlifted to safety. The landslide happened at about 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT) on Wednesday when four million cubic metres of mud and rock cascaded down the side of the Piz Cengalo mountain, the authorities said.
Police said that despite searches eight people were unaccounted for, six of whom had been reported missing by relatives. The village of Bondo near the Italian border, which narrowly escaped being hit by the landslide, has been completely evacuated, and will remain closed until at least Friday.
Residents fled after alarms sounded in the village. Hikers staying in mountain huts were airlifted to safety.
Several farm buildings were destroyed and pictures show the flow has engulfed homes and destroyed roads.
Geologists have warned that further landslides in the remote area cannot be ruled out.Geologists have warned that further landslides in the remote area cannot be ruled out.
The alarm system in Bondo was installed after a huge landslide on the slopes of Piz Cengalo in 2012 which crashed into an uninhabited valley.The alarm system in Bondo was installed after a huge landslide on the slopes of Piz Cengalo in 2012 which crashed into an uninhabited valley.
In 2014 a mudslide in Davesco-Soragno in the southern Canton of Ticino swept into a block of flats, killing two people and injuring four others.In 2014 a mudslide in Davesco-Soragno in the southern Canton of Ticino swept into a block of flats, killing two people and injuring four others.
In 2000, 13 people died when a landslide struck villages in the canton of Valais.In 2000, 13 people died when a landslide struck villages in the canton of Valais.