Weather Storm "Benjamin" sweeps across Switzerland
A lot of damage was reported on Thursday as a result of storm "Benjamin". A high-voltage pylon toppled in the Vaud municipality of Bière. In the canton of Vaud, the fire department alone responded to 98 incidents - mainly due to fallen trees.
23.10.2025, 12:11
23.10.2025, 15:37
SDA
A further 70 operations were carried out by the Vaudois police, as confirmed by a police spokesman at the request of Keystone-SDA. In most cases, trees or road signs gave way to the gusts of wind. There were no injuries until the afternoon.
One of the most spectacular accidents was the toppling of a high-voltage pylon in Bière shortly before 11 a.m., as the police spokesman confirmed a report from "20 Minuten". However, the cable did not break.
The emergency services were also called out around 60 times in Geneva. The strongest surge occurred at 9 am. Retired employees and forest rangers were also called out to assist. In addition, the shipping company canceled all regular connections on Lake Geneva for Thursday. The city of Geneva closed all parks without further ado until further notice.
Storm moves from west to east
In the canton of Lucerne, the police counted 30 operations due to the storm. Fallen trees caused some property damage, but no one was injured, a spokesman told Keystone-SDA.
Rail traffic was also affected on Thursday afternoon. A tree fell onto the tracks between Solothurn Oberdorf. The S20 and S21 lines had to be replaced by buses. The S23 line between Wasserauen and Weissbad in Appenzell Innerrhoden was also interrupted in the afternoon due to the storm.
The Felsenegg aerial cableway on the Uetliberg in Zurich was also temporarily suspended due to the strong gusts, according to the SBB website.
The northern Alps are particularly affected. Here, the federal government issued a warning level 3 out of 5. In Graubünden and the south, warning level 2 and 1 respectively.
