More than 400 emergency calls during thunderstorms in central Switzerland

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Severe thunderstorms, accompanied by heavy rain and hail, hit the cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz early yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services received more than 400 calls from the public, most of them related to flooded basements and flooded or blocked roads. No one has been reported as injured.

In the canton of Schwyz alone, 200 emergency calls were received between 12:30 and 14:45, according to the cantonal police. In addition to calls to homes and reports of roads being flooded, rail services were interrupted due to the bad weather.

The Lucerne cantonal police reported more than 210 emergency calls between noon and 15:00. The city of Lucerne was one of the most severely affected municipalities.

In the canton of Zug, several cellars, streets and garages were flooded, with 140 emergency calls received by police.

In Zug and St. Gallen, some roads were temporarily closed.

 

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