- 70,000 lightning and storms: damage in Switzerland
After days of scorching heat with temperatures reaching 35°C and above, over 70,000 lightning strikes hit Switzerland on Monday evening, triggering heavy rainfall, floods, landslides, and mudslides. Several thunderstorms developed around Lake Brienz, causing heavy rainfall and moving slowly.
In Brienz, about 75 kilometers southeast of Bern, the small Milibach river overflowed its banks after heavy rainfall, carrying debris and wood that rushed through the streets. Cars were swept away in the village by the lake, and the train station was flooded. Nearly two dozen flights had to be diverted at Zurich Airport.
Around 70 people were evacuated as a precaution due to the threat of flooding in their homes. No one was reported missing, according to the Regional Leadership Organization Upper Brienz (RFO). The extent of the damage was initially unknown. Train and boat services to Brienz remained suspended, with buses serving as a replacement. The town was closed to traffic.
Mudslides and blocked roads
Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland is also only partially accessible. Mudslides blocked the road between Zweilütschinen and Grindelwald, closing the road and suspending train services. Authorities set up alternative routes.
Above the Axenstraße on Lake Lucerne in Central Switzerland, there was a rockslide. The road runs directly along the lake shore below a rock mass at the southern end of the lake. The monitoring systems had previously indicated ground movements, so the canton of Uri had already closed the road as a precaution. The Federal Office of Roads (Astra) planned to inspect any damage by helicopter.
The heavy rainfall and floods in Brienz resulted in other infrastructure being affected, including the disruption of numerous flights at Zurich Airport. Additionally, including Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland, several areas faced access issues due to mudslides and blocked roads.
