Rome [Italy], April 20: Travel conditions largely returned to normal in Switzerland after heavy snowfalls cut key routes, and conditions eased in northern Italy following heavy rains, authorities reported on Saturday.
The Simplon Pass near the Italian border in southern Switzerland had been reopened, they said. Electricity had also largely been restored in areas where there had been a power outage, including the ski resort of Zermatt, south-west of the Simplon Pass.
Zermatt itself remained cut off, with the access road closed on account of the risk of avalanche, a Zermatt Tourism spokesman said.
He expressed the hope that the shuttle train serving the popular resort would restart operations during the day.
In Turin, capital of Italy's Piedmont region, all the bridges over the Po River were open again. Water levels in the river, Italy's longest, continued to be higher than normal for this time of year.
Further falls are expected in Emilia-Romagna province to the south-east of Piedmont and in Lombardy to the east, leading to fears of further flooding.
Disruption continued in mountain regions, with around 2,500 households without electricity in Aosta Valley on the French border in the far north-west. There were power cuts in other regions as well.
Cleaning up work continued in many cities, where some streets remained flooded.
Source: Qatar Tribune
