Storms in southern Switzerland caused a landslide that left two people dead and one missing, and a bridge over a small river collapsed, police said on Sunday.

Storms and heavy rain affected southern and western Switzerland on Saturday and overnight, with the worst-hit areas in the Italian-speaking Ticino canton (state), on the southern side of the Alps.

Police said there was a significant landslide in the Fontana area of the Maggia valley, which is near the city of Locarno.

They said in a statement that the bodies of two people have been recovered and are being identified, while rescuers are searching for another person who remains missing.

Camping sites along the Maggia river were evacuated, and part of the small Visletto road bridge collapsed.

Three other valleys in the region were unreachable by road.

Further north, the Rhone river burst its banks in several areas of Valais canton, flooding a highway and a railway line.