Switzerland may be particularly prone to natural disasters like avalanches and landslides, but some cantons have been slow to assess the risks in their territories, reports say.

"/> Switzerland may be particularly prone to natural disasters like avalanches and landslides, but some cantons have been slow to assess the risks in their territories, reports say.

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AVALANCHE

Swiss slow at mapping natural hazards

Switzerland may be particularly prone to natural disasters like avalanches and landslides, but some cantons have been slow to assess the risks in their territories, reports say.

Published: 27 April 2011 10:02 CEST

According to a report on the Corriere del Ticino newspaper, some cantons such as Geneva and Vaud, will not be able to complete a census of their local risk sites by the end of this year, as required by the Swiss government.

The paper said the cantons were granted some extra time until 2013 to map out those areas that are at risk to be hit by floods, avalanches and landslides. Other cantons that have not collected enough information on potential disasters include Basel-Stadt, Thurgau and Aargau, it said.

The mapping work has been going on for ten years and it now covers about 70 percent of risky areas, the paper said. The project aims at collecting information on the frequency and intensity of natural hazards to avoid building in risky areas and plan protective measures.

SKI

Dad’s ‘miracle escape’ after being buried by avalanche in French Alps

A man out walking with his family in the French Alps has made a miraculous escape from an avalanche after spending more than two and a half hours trapped under snow, rescuers said.

Published: 29 January 2021 11:46 CET
Dad's 'miracle escape' after being buried by avalanche in French Alps
Ski lifts in France are closed, but visitors and locals are free to enjoy other outdoor sports. Photo: AFP

The 50-year-old father was snowshoeing near the high-altitude Val d'Isere ski resort with his wife and two children on Thursday without anti-avalanche safety equipment.

“Thank to the mobilisation of nearly 100 people… the man was found alive after two hours and 40 minutes of searching,” the police for the local Savoie département announced on Twitter.

Because of the depth of the snow, rescue dogs were unable to detect a trace, but the man was eventually dug out by a specialised mountain police team which used a Wolfhound device to locate his mobile phone under the ice.

“I think it's a miracle,” Alexandre Grether from the PGHM rescue team told the France 3 local news channel, adding that the man was found 2.5 metres (eight feet) below the surface.

The chances of survival after more than 20 minutes in an avalanche are usually slim.

“He was protected by a tree, that's what prevented him from being crushed by all the ice that slid down. The snow had surrounded him, but he had a pocket of air,” he explained.

The victim is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a fracture to his hip.

The avalanche risk on Thursday was at its maximum – five on a scale of five – and rescuers urge people to always check the snow conditions before venturing out.

READ ALSO 'Whole season a write-off' – what next for France's ski resorts?

Ski lifts in the Alps, which have seen some of their heaviest snowfalls in years in January, are currently closed because of restrictions imposed by the government to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Visitors and locals are free to enjoy hiking, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing, but occupancy levels in hotels and chalets are way down and business owners and seasonal staff face serious hardships.

The government has promised an economic support package for the sector.

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