Hundreds of people have been flown out of the cut-off Saas Valley in Switzerland by helicopter. The road to the mountain tourism region around Saas-Fee has been impassable since a storm and landslide.
The airlift was set up yesterday for around 2,200 stranded tourists. Many of the guests come from Switzerland. The flight from Saas-Fee to Stalden, which takes just a few minutes, costs 140 francs (150 euros).
The regional operations team expected around 900 helicopter passengers by this evening. No flights are currently planned for tomorrow. The evacuation would resume on Monday, it was said.
Onlookers hinder explosions
However, some people tried to leave the valley on foot. These people, along with onlookers, had obstructed blasting work to restore the road connection, the task force said. Nevertheless, the blasting of the large boulders was completed.
It is still unclear when the road will be reopened to traffic. The authorities in the canton of Valais expect the route into the valley to remain closed until at least the beginning of the week.
