Additional Coverage:
Geneva — A massive chunk of the Birch Glacier broke off Wednesday, sending a devastating torrent of rock and ice down a Swiss mountainside. The landslide buried much of the Alpine village of Blatten, which had been preemptively evacuated earlier this month. While no injuries have been reported, the search for a missing 64-year-old man was called off Thursday due to dangerous conditions.
The landslide sent plumes of dust and debris into the air, coating the village in mud. State Councilor Stéphane Ganzer reported that 90% of Blatten has been destroyed. Mayor Matthias Bellwald somberly declared, “We’ve lost our village,” but vowed to rebuild.
The buried Lonza River bed now poses a serious flood risk to downstream communities. Authorities evacuated 16 people from two nearby villages as a precaution. Officials are working to assess the size of the potential ice dam and mitigate the risk.
The debris field remains unstable, hindering rescue efforts. The Valais cantonal government has requested assistance from the army to clear the riverbed and secure the area.
This incident underscores growing concerns about glacial melt in Switzerland, exacerbated by global warming. The country, home to the most glaciers in Europe, lost a significant portion of its glacial volume in recent years. This disaster follows closely on the heels of the discovery of five skiers’ bodies on a glacier near Zermatt.