US EditionSwiss Glacier Collapse Partially Destroys Village of Blatten
- On May 28, 2025, the Birch Glacier in Switzerland's Valais region collapsed, engulfing the village of Blatten beneath a massive volume of earth and rock estimated at over 3.5 million cubic meters.
- The collapse followed retreating glaciers and warming permafrost that destabilized material at high elevation, exacerbated by rapid regional glacier mass loss between 2022 and 2024.
- Around 300 residents evacuated days prior, but one 64-year-old man remains missing after the maximum-risk zone in the Lonza River valley was engulfed by debris.
- Michael Huss, a Swiss glacier expert, said, "awareness and preparedness are now essential" while warning that such events, though rare, may become more frequent in the Alps.
- The disaster underscores urgent needs for climate adaptation and restrictions on construction in hazard zones as glacier retreat threatens communities and ecosystems across Europe.
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Opinion | What Recent Mumbai Flooding Should Teach Us About Climate
Extreme weather events have become more frequent across the world and barely anyone is spared. While Mumbai was dealing with a deluge, a glacier collapsed in Switzerland, dumping mud and ice into a valley and burying the village of Blatten.
Switzerland is facing another natural disaster. After a glacier collapsed and buried the village of Blatten in late May, a massive landslide is threatening the upper Val de Bagne valley in the canton of Valais, where a storm last week already swept away rocks, wood and mud.
Where to rebuild the Swiss people of Blatten, thirteen days after the avalanche that buried him leaving 300 people homeless and a missing person, is the dilemma facing the Swiss Government.The dangerousness of the affected valley has complicated the situation so other possibilities are posed and the best enclave is sought to carry out the arduous task of reconstruction, as has been highlighted by the national television.The Swiss federal adviser…
Switzerland Debates Where to Rebuild Alpine Village Buried by Landslide - teleSUR English
The entire valley of the Lonza River has been classified as a maximum-risk natural disaster zone. Days after a landslide of earth, mud and rocks buried the village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps, the question is emerging of where to rebuild the community for the 300 residents who lost their homes — a complex issue due to the hazardous nature of the affected valley. RELATED: Glacier Collapse Buries Swiss Village That Voted Against Climate Change Po…
After the rock collapse of sheets, other places in Switzerland are also feared for moving rock masses. For example, in Kandersteg in the Bernese Alps.
In order to detect glacial falls as in Switzerland at an early stage, intensive monitoring is necessary. Not only in South Tyrol, there is obviously a need for improvement.
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