The famous Swiss ski resort Zermatt has been cut off from the rest of the world after a landslide and flooded rivers made roads impassable today, June 21. Train services to the remote mountain village have been halted due to the floods, and access roads closed, isolating the quaint village completely. The river Vispa as well as the Triftbach Creek that runs through the center of the village, have turned into a muddy torrents.
Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn RE41, last train out of Zermatt this morning before the town was cutoff from the world due to flooding and landslides. No rail or road transport is possible. The river Vispa has broken its banks, centre of the town is flooded. #zermatt #matterhorn #sbb pic.twitter.com/qkAVuIKZdJ
— ljrlwkejlkwjdlkj (@wlkdjflwkdfjlsk) June 21, 2024
Zermatt is located in the canton Wallis/Valais, where rainfall has caused several rivers in the canton to flood. The Rhône river, one of Europe’s major rivers that runs through France and Switzerland, has flooded across large areas of the canton. The Vispa is a major affluent of the Rhône, and its flooding has caused several road closures in the village of Zermatt.
The snow melt after a great winter season combined with recent rainfalls have not only caused rivers to flood but also softened the soil and caused a landslide onto the road between Täsch and Zermatt, forcing the closure of the only access road to Zermatt. The road closure comes in addition to the closure of all trainlines. The Gotthard train company announced disruption to services between Visp and Zermatt on social media accounts. The trains of the lines R40, RE41 and RE42 are cancelled due to the floods. Replacement buses are operating between Visp and Täsch but there is no possibility to travel to or from Zermatt. The situation will be evaluated at 4 p.m. today until then, travelers will hae to stay put and await further updates.
The cantonal police of Wallis/Valais shared the following advice from the cantonal governing body:
- Restrict travel
- Stay away from watercourses
- Don’t park on bridges
- Do not drive on the Rhone and at the mouth of Lake Geneva
- Refrain from filming or photographing severe weather events
- Strictly adhere to the instructions of the authorities
The cantonal governing body continuously analyses the situation and updates will be provided on a regular basis.
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