On Wednesday, May 28, a large part of a glacier collapsed in the Swiss village of Blatten (Valais canton). The descent of ice, rocks and snow reached the village, parts of which are now under rubble. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties, one person is considered missing. This is reported by UNN with reference to NZZ.
Details
According to the publication, the disaster occurred around 15:30. A significant part of the Birch Glacier collapsed into the valley along with a large amount of debris. According to the regional command, part of the village is buried under the rubble, but there have been no reports of casualties. The full extent of the damage is still unknown. According to Matthias Ebener, head of the information department of the regional command, one person is missing.
"It's terrible to lose your homeland. I sympathize with the residents of Blatten at this time," Swiss Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter said on the social network X.
In light of the dramatic events in the Lötschental Valley, Federal Councillors Albert Rösti (Detec) and Martin Pfister (DDPS) are rushing to the scene. They plan to review the situation at a hastily convened press conference at 19:00.
The authorities of the canton of Valais have asked the army for help. A military spokesman said the request was being considered and the military was ready to provide support. A reconnaissance unit has already been sent to the affected region.
Around 17:30, Alert Swiss announced the closure of the cantonal road from Goppenstein to Blatten. Access is only allowed to residents due to the risk of new landslides and collapses. According to the Walliser Boten newspaper, the glacier collapse caused an earthquake this afternoon. According to the report, its magnitude reached 3.1 on the Richter scale.
As noted, several smaller landslides were recorded shortly before this collapse.