Rescuers Evacuate Submerged Swiss Capital
August 25, 2005BERN, Switzerland (AP) - Rescue workers completed an airlift evacuation of a half-submerged riverside district of the Swiss capital Thursday as large parts of central and southern Europe were hit by flooding that killed at least 42 people.
Hardest hit was Romania with 31 victims, many of whom were trapped inside their homes and drowned as torrents of water rushed in. Austria, Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland reported a total of 11 dead, but numbers were expected to climb as more bodies of the missing are recovered.
Across the Alps, military helicopters were ferrying in supplies to valleys cut off by flooding and evacuating stranded tourists - and even cows - isolated in mountain pastures by the rising waters.
The river Aare broke through the windows of a children´s clothes shop in Bern, leaving baby strollers and toys floating in muddy water in the deserted streets of the city´s Matte district.
"It really hits home when you something like this," said fire service chief Franz Bachmann, who led the evacuation operation. "Lots of people have lost their whole existence."
Residents evacuated from the low-lying area looked on in tears as water receded slowly, offering the first glimpses of streets, squares and ground floors submerged in mud. The area has been fully searched and none of its 1,100 residents remain, said city police spokesman Franz Maerki.
Police kept guard to prevent people returning to the area, warning that more water could surge down from the mountains as blockages of debris and mud give way.
"As soon as this wood is gone, the water here will rise rapidly again," said Bachmann.
Many homes there are in imminent danger of collapse, and electricity, phone lines and gas are cut off, city authorities said.
Three people were also missing in Romania´s hard-hit Harghita, including a 4-year-old girl, said Maria Magdalena Sipos, a local government official.
Szillard Stranitsky, who drove through the area late Wednesday, said cars were unable to move because of the rain and mud on the roads.
"I was scared of driving over a corpse, either human or animal, because I couldn´t see a thing," said the 37-year-old Stranitsky.
Meanwhile, officials in Austria turned their attention to the cleanup and reconstruction as the rain there eased up.
"The danger is over," said Doris Ita, the head of Austria´s flood emergency department. "But we are still watching the situation."
In Germany, the Danube flooded part of the southeastern town of Kelheim, including its Weltenburg Monastery, founded in the 7th century and described as the oldest in Bavaria.
The ground floor of the Benedictine monastery, which draws 500,000 visitors a year, was submerged early Thursday, said Father Benedikt, the monastery´s prior.
"The community is working feverishly to rescue what it can," said Benedikt.
There was some good news as Swiss railways said main routes through the Alps connecting northern and southern Europe were open again.
Swiss Reinsurance, the world´s second-largest reinsurer, said economic losses from the flooding could reach $791 million US in Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
posted by ... @ 6:57 PM
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