A large section of a glacier in the Swiss Alps broke away on Wednesday, unleashing a torrent of ice, mud, and rocks that engulfed much of a nearby mountain village. Authorities had previously evacuated the area due to concerns over a potential rockslide.
Officials confirmed that one person remains unaccounted for following the incident. Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities assess the damage and continue the search.
Drone footage broadcast by Swiss national broadcaster SRF showed a vast plain of mud and soil completely covering part of the southwestern village of Blatten, the river running through it and the wooded sides of the surrounding valley.
Swiss Village Crushed by Glacier Landslide, One Still Missing
“We’ve lost our village,” said Matthias Bellwald, the mayor of Blatten, at a press conference after the slide. “The village lies under rubble. We will rebuild.”
Stephane Ganzer, an official from the canton of Valais where Blatten sits, told Swiss media that the landslide buried about 90% of the village.
“An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,” said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities.
Authorities reported one person missing but did not release further details during the press conference.
Since earlier this month, millions of cubic metres of rock and soil have tumbled down after officials evacuated Blatten, warning that the crumbling mountain behind the glacier could trigger a massive ice collapse.
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Swiss Glacier Collapse Sparks Unprecedented Destruction, Climate Change Suspected
A video shared widely on social media showed the dramatic moment when the glacier partially collapsed, creating a huge cloud that covered part of the mountain as rock and debris came cascading down towards the village.
Experts consulted by Reuters said it was difficult to assess the extent to which rising temperatures spurred by climate change had triggered the collapse because of the role the crumbling mountainside had played.
Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich, said while various factors were at play in Blatten, it was known that local permafrost had been affected by warmer temperatures in the Alps.
The loss of permafrost can negatively affect the stability of the mountain rock which is why climate change had likely played a part in the deluge, Huggel said.
A massive rockslide caused unprecedented destruction in the Swiss village of Blatten, marking the worst such event in the Alps in over a century. Drone footage revealed shattered wooden buildings buried under a huge mass of earth, while officials confirmed widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. The village’s 300 residents had been evacuated on May 19 due to the risk of a rock and ice avalanche. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed support for those affected, as authorities closed the main road and warned the public to avoid the hazardous area.
