Latest news with #Loetschental
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Villagers nervously watch a mountain peak after rockslide buried their neighbours
In the Swiss Alpine resort of Kandersteg, officials have been closely monitoring a deteriorating mountain peak that towers above its picturesque homes and hotels, after a glacier collapse and massive rockslide buried a neighbouring village weeks ago. The destruction late in May of Blatten, a village of around 300 people in the Loetschental valley, threw into sharp relief concern about the impact of melting permafrost as temperatures trend higher on Alpine mountain ranges. Blatten was evacuated before a chunk of a glacier broke off, triggering a dangerous cascade of ice, earth and rock towards the village, in a manner similar to what Kandersteg has been preparing for. "Of course, Blatten really upset us," said Kandersteg's mayor Rene Maeder. "It really gets under your skin. You're speechless when you see those images of the violence of nature." Still, Maeder was confident Kandersteg's dams and daily monitoring prepared it well to avert disaster, with researchers checking the mountain via GPS, radar and drone. There has been a heightened threat of rockslides in Kandersteg since 2018, when paragliders noted that Spitzer Stein, a distinctive rocky peak crowning a lush Alpine landscape, was losing height and that bits had broken off it. That discovery made the village a testing ground for technology that monitors what some experts believe is the likely impact of climate change on the Alps, where thawing permafrost has weakened rock structures that were long frozen solid. Seismic activity and geological instability are also risks for the region's mountains. Kandersteg was a prime example of an area with historical structural instability that could be aggravated by many factors, including permafrost, said Robert Kenner at the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos. "What calmed down for about 3,000 years is now reactivated," he said. Sensors monitoring GPS locations on the Spitzer Stein showed the mountain shifting by up to 70 centimetres (2.3 feet) a day, Maeder said. In the event of major rock movement, residents should receive warnings at least 48 hours in advance. Blatten was evacuated 10 days before the deluge, which caused insurance losses of 320 million Swiss francs ($400 million), an initial estimate by the Swiss insurance association showed. There are about 48 Swiss Alpine peaks of at least 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) in height, and several hundred at least 3,000 meters high. In 2017, a landslide killed eight hikers in the southern village of Bondo, despite prior evacuations. Monitoring there has since been ramped up. Kandersteg, with a population of about 1,400, has spent over 11 million Swiss francs ($13.81 million) on disaster preparedness, including dams to slow flooding, Mayor Maeder said. Residents, who get regular updates on the mountain's movements via email and WhatsApp, have faith in the technology. "We still sleep well," said Patrick Jost, head of Kandersteg's tourism office, whose home is one of the most exposed to a potential Spitzer Stein collapse. He lives with his two children in the red zone, the village's most high-risk area, where no new construction is allowed. A map of Kandersteg: Despite the shock of Blatten, life is largely unchanged, including vital tourism, locals say. Kandersteg will perform its first ever full evacuation drill next year, Maeder said, observing: "Blatten and Kandersteg, that's just the tip of the iceberg." Residents like 77-year-old Rudi Schorer know they will have to move fast in an emergency, and have set aside identification details, spare clothes and a few belongings. "These are ready in a suitcase at home," Schorer said. "That's what we were advised to do, and that's what we did."
Times
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Times
Swiss glacier collapse: Person missing in landslide burying Blatten
One person is missing and 90 per cent of a village has been destroyed after a chunk of a glacier came crashing into a Swiss valley. Dramatic drone video taken by the Swiss national broadcaster SRF showed an avalanche of ice, mud and rock completely covering part of the southwestern village of Blatten, the river running through it and the wooded sides of the surrounding Loetschental valley. Officials said one person was missing, despite the village's 300 residents and livestock having been evacuated some days ago. Emergency services had urged people to stay away from the area that they warned was hazardous. 'The unimaginable has happened,' Matthias Bellwald, the mayor of Blatten, told a press conference after the slide. Appearing to fight back tears, he said: 'We've lost our village. The village is under rubble. We will rebuild.' Stephane Ganzer, an official in the canton of Valais where Blatten is located, told Swiss media that the slide 'at first glance covered 90 per cent of the village'. 'There's a risk that the situation could get worse,' Ganzer told Canal9, citing a nearby river that may be blocked. The landslide was caused by a large section of the Birch glacier that measured about 1.5 million cubic meters, located above the village, which had broken off. Officials said millions of cubic metres of rock and soil had already fallen down since Blatten was first evacuated on March 19, when part of the mountain behind the glacier began to crumble. Map of glacier collapse in Blatten The president, Karin Keller-Sutter, said in a social media post: 'It's terrible to lose your home. In these hours, I feel for the residents of Blatten.' The extent of the damage to Blatten had no precedent in the Swiss Alps in the current or previous century, according to Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich. Huggel told Reuters it was widely known that local permafrost had been affected by changing temperatures in the Alps, which had warmed over the years due to climate change. In 2017, eight hikers were killed and many homes destroyed when the biggest landslide in more than a hundred years came crashing down close to the southeastern village of Bondo.
Sky News
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Sky News
One person missing after mudslide buries Swiss mountain village
One person is missing after a deluge of rock, mud and ice buried 90% of a Swiss mountain village, officials have said. It came after a glacier overlooking the settlement of Blatten, in southern Switzerland, partially collapsed on Wednesday, sending the debris raining down. "An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley," Matthias Ebener, a spokesman for local authorities in the Valais canton. He also confirmed one person was missing. Approximately 300 residents, as well as livestock, were evacuated from the area on 19 May after geologists warned that a 1.5 million cubic meter (52 million cubic feet) glacier overlooking the village was at risk of imminent collapse. Local councillor Stephane Ganzer told Swiss media that the mud and rockslide "at first glance covered 90% of the village". Footage shared on social media showed the moment the debris came down, leaving behind destroyed buildings and other infrastructure in the village, which is nestled in the Loetschental valley. Emergency services warned people that the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with villagers.
CNN
28-05-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Mud and rock buries evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse, one person missing
A huge chunk of a glacier in the Swiss Alps broke off on Wednesday afternoon, causing a deluge of ice, mud and rock to bury part of a mountain village evacuated earlier this month due to the risk of a rockslide, authorities said. One person is currently missing, officials said. Drone footage broadcast by Swiss national broadcaster SRF showed a vast plain of mud and soil completely covering part of the village of Blatten, the river running through it and the wooded sides of the surrounding valley. 'An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,' said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. One person was missing, Ebener said. The rubble of shattered wooden buildings could be seen on the flanks of the huge mass of earth in the drone footage. Buildings and infrastructure in Blatten, whose roughly 300 inhabitants were evacuated on May 19 after geologists had identified the risk of an imminent avalanche of rock and ice from above, were hit hard by the rockslide, Ebener said. SRF said houses were destroyed in the village nestled in the Loetschental valley in southern Switzerland. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with the local population as emergency services warned people the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away, closing off the main road into the valley. 'It's terrible to lose your home,' Keller-Sutter said on X. Authorities have been monitoring the slopes above Blatten since ordering residents to leave their homes. 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 rumbling down into the outskirts of the village.
CNN
28-05-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Mud and rock buries evacuated Swiss village after glacier collapse, one person missing
A huge chunk of a glacier in the Swiss Alps broke off on Wednesday afternoon, causing a deluge of ice, mud and rock to bury part of a mountain village evacuated earlier this month due to the risk of a rockslide, authorities said. One person is currently missing, officials said. Drone footage broadcast by Swiss national broadcaster SRF showed a vast plain of mud and soil completely covering part of the village of Blatten, the river running through it and the wooded sides of the surrounding valley. 'An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,' said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. One person was missing, Ebener said. The rubble of shattered wooden buildings could be seen on the flanks of the huge mass of earth in the drone footage. Buildings and infrastructure in Blatten, whose roughly 300 inhabitants were evacuated on May 19 after geologists had identified the risk of an imminent avalanche of rock and ice from above, were hit hard by the rockslide, Ebener said. SRF said houses were destroyed in the village nestled in the Loetschental valley in southern Switzerland. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with the local population as emergency services warned people the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away, closing off the main road into the valley. 'It's terrible to lose your home,' Keller-Sutter said on X. Authorities have been monitoring the slopes above Blatten since ordering residents to leave their homes. 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 rumbling down into the outskirts of the village.
