The Local Switzerland

Could Switzerland force all homeowners to pay for earthquake damage?

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 17:02:55 +0200

The Swiss government is proposing to force property owners to bear some of the costs of earthquake damage but it's being met with resistance.

Which parts of Switzerland have the greatest earthquake risk?

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 12:09:13 +0100

Switzerland is hit by by hundreds of earthquakes each year and often the tremors are felt by people and some can cause damage. Here's what you need to know about quakes in Switzerland.

Should you insure your Swiss home against earthquakes?

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:42:14 +0100

Switzerland is not free from the risk of earthquakes and in certain parts of the country where the possibility of a tremor causing major damage is real. So should you get house insurance to cover this risk?

UPDATE: Earthquake hits Swiss canton of Valais

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 11:33:41 +0200

An earthquake which registered 4.1 on the Richter scale shook parts of the Swiss canton on Tuesday. This is what we know so far.

'1,600 buildings destroyed?' What could happen if the Swiss canton of Valais is hit by a big earthquake?

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 13:40:34 +0100

Nearly 800 dead, 1,600 buildings destroyed, and 119,000 people become homeless. This is the "worst-case" result of a big earthquake hitting the Swiss canton of Valais according to natural disaster experts.

Earthquake hits Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region

Tue, 28 May 2019 14:12:21 +0200

An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale was felt by people in western Switzerland on Tuesday morning.

Earthquake gives Swiss canton of Valais a shake

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 11:52:42 +0200

A minor earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale was widely felt across parts of the Swiss canton of Wallis last night, according to the Swiss Seismological Service (SED).

3.1-magnitude earthquake hits northern Switzerland

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:40:37 +0100

An earthquake with its epicentre in southern Germany was felt by people in northern Switzerland in the early hours of Monday morning.

Earthquake shakes the Swiss canton of Vaud

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 11:05:10 +0200

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit the mountain town of Chateau d’Oex in the canton of Vaud on Saturday morning.

Earthquakes in Switzerland: how safe are we?

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 13:51:28 +0100

After Switzerland experienced its biggest earthquake in years on Monday night, The Local looks at the current situation regarding the country’s earthquake safety.

Switzerland shaken by biggest earthquake for 12 years

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 09:56:50 +0100

An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 on the Richter scale hit central Switzerland on Monday night, the Swiss Seismology Service (SED) has said.

More earthquakes than normal shook Switzerland last year

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 10:55:35 +0100

Switzerland experienced 880 earthquakes in 2016, slightly more than the 40-year average, according to the Swiss Seismological Service (SED).

Valais shaken by 4.2 magnitude earthquake

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:15:34 +0200

Residents of the Valais felt the earth move on Monday afternoon as an earthquake of magnitude 4.2 hit the canton.

Expert predicts major quake for Switzerland by 2040

Thu, 25 Aug 2016 13:24:58 +0200

Switzerland is due another large earthquake of a similar magnitude to the one that hit Italy this week by 2040, a geologist has said.

Bern sends aid team to Nepal earthquake zone

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 23:26:20 +0200

The Swiss government on Sunday sent a team of experts to Nepal to evaluate humanitarian needs there a day after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake killed at least 2,500 people and injured thousands more, while destroying buildings and triggering deadly avalanches.

Sargans shaken by 3.6 magnitude earthquake

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 11:59:00 +0100

If you were in Sargans on Friday and felt the earth move – it wasn’t just you. Residents in the small town, located in the north-eastern Swiss canton of St Gallen, were awoken by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake on Friday morning.

Geothermal tests trigger Swiss earthquake

Sun, 21 Jul 2013 12:47:00 +0200

Geothermal exploration was the likely cause of a 3.6 magnitude earthquake Saturday in northeastern Switzerland, authorities said.

Small quake shakes central Switzerland

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:35:00 +0100

A light earthquake shook Switzerland's central Zug region early on Friday, the Swiss Seismological Service in Zurich said.

Insurance firms reject Zurich quake claims

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:25:21 +0100

Over 100 reports of damage have been filed with insurance companies following the earthquake in the Zurich area that took place on Saturday night.

Swiss help bring music to Japan quake zone

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:43:00 +0200

A Swiss-Japanese project said Tuesday that it is building a mobile concert hall which would bring music and performance arts back to earthquake-devastated northern Japan.