Switzerland Calls Up Army to Help Flooded Towns

Authorities in Switzerland have called in the army to help evacuate people and livestock from villages cut off by heavy flooding in the Alps.

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that soldiers have been deployed to the Bernese Highlands south of the capital and to the Valais region of southern Switzerland.

It says army helicopters are being used to airlift animals and inhabitants from the isolated Gastern Valley.

Days of heavy rain have swelled Alpine streams to record levels, causing landslides and washed away roads.

The floods are estimated to have caused millions of Swiss francs (dollars) worth of damage, but so far there have been no reports of fatalities.