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WEATHER

Scorchio! Late August heat breaks record in Geneva

Switzerland basked in a heatwave on Thursday, with parts of the country experiencing record temperatures for the time of year.

Scorchio! Late August heat breaks record in Geneva
Lake Geneva on Thursday. Photo: The Local

Geneva reached 33.3 degrees, the first time the canton has ever exceeded 33 degrees in the final week of August, said news agencies citing MeteoNews.

And some regions sweated through a tropical night on the night of Thursday to Friday, defined as a night in which temperatures do not drop below 20 degrees.

St. Chrischona in the canton of Basel-City recorded the highest night-time temperature, of 22.9 degrees, while several places in French-speaking Switzerland, including Vevey, Lausanne and Le Bouveret, also experienced tropical conditions, according to MeteoNews.

The canton of Valais raised its forest fire threat level to four out of five on Thursday, meaning there is a ‘strong’ risk of fires in the area, authorities said in a statement.

With hot weather continuing to Sunday, people are being advised to only light barbecues and open fires in designated areas and to always keep watch over the fire.

But for the moment, there is no ban on campfires, unlike in 2015 when a ban was in place for six weeks over the summer.

The heat is expected to last until Sunday, after which time some storms and rain will lower temperatures slightly into next week.

Source: Meteo Suisse

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SKIING

Two skiers killed in Swiss avalanche

Two cross-country skiers have been killed in an avalanche near the plush resort of Klosters in southeast Switzerland, police said Saturday.

Two skiers killed in Swiss avalanche

The accident happened on Friday, the Graubunden regional police said.

“In the Schintersiten area they took a slope with a steep gradient,” a police statement said.

“Several avalanches broke out and dragged the two men about 200 metres down the rocky terrain.

“As a result, both the 54-year-old and his 57-year-old companion, both of whom lived in the canton of Bern, were fatally injured.”

The Graubunden public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation alongside the cantonal police.

Before Friday’s accident, 12 people had lost their lives in avalanches in Switzerland since October 1 last year, according to statistics from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

A total of 142 avalanche-related accidents have occurred, with 188 people swept away.

Earlier this month, six cross-country skiers went missing in a storm near the southern luxury resort of Zermatt. The group, aged 21 to 58, included five members of the same family.

Five bodies were recovered and the search for the sixth person was ultimately called off.

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