Torrential rain and flooding in Europe and Asia

Rain and floods wreak havoc in Europe and Asia. Wild nature creates big problems. The search continues in Switzerland for the three people reported missing following the devastating floods that occurred in the south-east of this country, while a woman was found alive after a landslide, according to the Police in the canton of Graubunden. Storms and heavy rains caused floods and landslides in the Mesolcina valley, a mountainous region. Several dozen people had to be evacuated last week from their homes in the same region, as well as from the neighboring Calanca valley. A woman, who had also been declared missing, was found alive but injured after a landslide and was taken to hospital in Lugano. Due to the extensive damage in the region, the Police asked the population not to travel to the affected areas and not to make unnecessary trips with vehicles. The overflowing waters of the rivers also took with them a police vehicle participating in the search operations. "The two policemen were able to get out of the vehicle, which was covered by water, and swim to save themselves," said the Swiss Police. In Lostallo, a hall was made available to people evacuated from their homes, many of which were flooded by the raging rivers, according to the Keystone-ATS news agency. Several municipalities in the same region are deprived of electricity, and the water is no longer drinkable in several villages. Heavy rains have affected several regions of Switzerland in recent days. Many roads were blocked, and traffic on railway lines was interrupted. The country's president, Viola Amherd, declared herself "appalled" by the extent of the damage: "My thoughts are now directed towards the affected population".

Four people died and another was reported missing on Monday, the day after a landslide in China, where a torrential rain alert is in effect in several regions, especially in the center of the country, the media reported. state media. Following record rainfall in a city in the mountainous province of Hunan (center), "four people died and another was reported missing," the Xinhua news agency said. Torrential rains are affecting a large area of the country, stretching from Yunnan (southwest), a province on the border with Vietnam, to the coastal province of Zhejiang (east), near Shanghai. The alert, issued at its highest level, was triggered in several parts of this vast area. Torrential rains could last until Thursday. In eastern China, the Huangshan site, famous for its picturesque mountain scenery, is closed to the public. On Sunday, 54,000 people were evacuated due to bad weather, according to the Xinhua news agency. China has been facing extreme weather conditions and unusually high temperatures in recent months, exacerbated by climate change, according to scientists. On Sunday, a landslide in a mountainous area in central China left at least eight dead, according to a tally by state broadcaster CCTV. The torrential rains of the last few days have already caused flooding, especially in Guangdong (southern) province, emblematic of China's manufacturing power. At least 38 people lost their lives in this province, according to an official count. At the other end of the country, scorching temperatures since the beginning of the month covered a large part of the north, including the capital Beijing, where the mercury in thermometers exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in some places.