Several houses in Blatten were destroyed after a huge cloud of ice and rubble invaded the village, which was evacuated
The collapse of a glacier in southern Switzerland partially destroyed the small village of Blatten, which had recently been evacuated due to imminent danger.
It was about 15:30, local time, when the Birch glacier collapsed, the emergency services of the Wallis region informed.
Several houses of this village, which used to host 300 people, were destroyed. The information was confirmed by Jonas Jeitziner of the Regional Emergency Management Service.
Even after landslide, runs in the mountainous structure continue to represent a threat, with experts to anticipate new collapses.
🔴 Terrible images from Switzerland, shot this Wednesday afternoon… Millions of cubic meters of ice and rock have just destroyed the village (evacuated) of Blatten [CH]in Valais… 🇨🇭 (© Pomonamedia)
-Franc-Comtoise weather (@meteofrComToise)
Residents are prevented from returning, with no defined calendar for this purpose. Risks continue to be monitored.
Glacier collapse and associated land collapse had been expected several days ago.
The images published on social networks show a huge cloud of ice and rubble down the mountain, towards the valley where this village is.
According to scientists, one of the reasons for the retreat of glaciers in the Alps over the last few years is in global warming.
The defrost between 2022 and 2023 was equivalent to what happened between the 1960s and 1990s.
Registration of the damage (AP Photo)
