Switzerland: Glacier collapse destroys village of Blatten

The Birch Glacier collapse on Wednesday, May 28, largely destroyed the village of Blatten, a Swiss commune in the canton of Valais located in the Lötschental valley, and left one person missing. "We lost the village today, but not our heart," the mayor of the small commune, which had 300 inhabitants before its complete evacuation the previous week, said at a press briefing.

The glacier's collapse had been expected for several days, as numerous rockfalls had already occurred in the mountainous area above it. Many homes in the village were destroyed by the mass of ice and rocks. One person is missing—a 64-year-old local resident who, according to the Valais cantonal police, was in the affected area at the time of the incident.

Three rescuers were dropped by helicopter near the alluvial fan to search for the missing person, and a drone equipped with a thermal camera to detect body heat was also deployed, police said in a statement. Weather conditions were poor Wednesday afternoon, but are expected to improve Thursday.

At around 3:30 p.m., the massive collapse that occurred at the Birch Glacier swept down the slope towards the commune – which includes the hamlets of Eisten, Ried and Weissenried, located at an altitude of around 1,500 meters – according to emergency authorities in this part of the canton of Valais.

A support unit, including psychological support, was set up to help residents after they became aware of the extent of the destruction. Images posted on YouTube show a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountain overlooking the valley where the Lonza River flows and where Blatten is located. The power and speed of the cloud were such that it continued its course down the opposite slope of the valley.

According to Raphaël Mayoraz, cantonal official responsible for natural hazard management, "3 million cubic meters of rock fell suddenly onto the glacier, carrying it with them" into the valley. "It's very, very rare. We don't know of any example in history. Now, everything has fallen," he stressed. "It's an extraordinary event," added Albert Rösti, Federal Councilor for the Environment.

His colleague, Martin Pfister, in charge of defense and civil security, specified that the army was going to the scene to assess the situation and take stock of the precise means to be implemented.