One dead in Swiss floods as Alpine resort Zermatt cut off

The river tore through the resort town of Zermatt on Friday

The body of a man has been found after three people went missing when floodwaters swept through the Swiss valley of Misox in the canton of Graubünden.

A massive thunderstorm on Friday night caused rivers to break their banks, flooding streets and causing several dozen people to be evacuated.

Four were initially reported missing, but a woman was found under rocks and taken to hospital in the city of Lugano.

The body of a man was found eight kilometres (5 miles) from where he disappeared, police said on Sunday.

Rescuers continue to search for the remaining two people, but a police spokesman said the probability of finding them alive "is low".

The three people were likely at home when floodwaters swept away three houses and three vehicles, police said.

Further west, the alpine resort of Zermatt has been isolated by floodwaters.

Footage from the town, which lies at the base of the iconic Matterhorn mountain, showed floodwaters raging through the streets on Friday.

The Swiss government's weather service said 124 mm (4.88 in) of rain had fallen in the area on Friday - most of it over a one-hour period.

"This concentration of rain happens only once every 30 years," a spokesman for the service said.

Train links between Visp and Zermatt have been suspended, and the road between Täsch and Zermatt has been closed, leaving the resort completely inaccessible.

Authorities had prepared for some overflow, restricting public access to the banks of the Rhône and its offshoot rivers from Friday.

Correction 17 September: This article has been changed to state that Graubünden is a canton not a valley, and that Misox is a valley not a town.