The collapse of the Birch Glacier buried 90 percent of Blatten, Switzerland. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
The tiny village of Blatten, Switzerland, has been almost entirely destroyed by a massive landslide.
“What I can tell you at the moment is that about 90 perfect of the village is covered or destroyed, so it’s a major catastrophe that has happened here in Blatten,” Stephane Ganzer, the head of security in Switzerland’s southern Valais region, told local TV channel Canal9.
Blatten, which sat in the Swiss valley of Lötschental, was only about 35 square miles in size. At last count, around 300 people lived there, but thankfully authorities were aware that the landslide was imminent and evacuated nearly everyone in the preceding days. One resident is still missing, however, and search and rescue efforts are currently underway for the 64-year-old man.
The slide was likely triggered by a 3.1 magnitude earthquake that shook a chunk of the Birch Glacier free from its icy moorings. The glacier, which is 52 million cubic feet, broke off and plummeted towards the town on May 28. Although the village was nearly empty, the dangers aren’t quite finished yet. The landslide blocked the Lonza River, which could potentially flood upstream. “There’s a risk that the situation could get worse,” Ganzer continued.
According to the Associated Press, the army has been mobilized and helicopters are assessing the damage.
In recent years, local glaciologists have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of the country’s rapidly thawing glaciers. Switzerland has more glaciers than any other European country, and as they melt they threaten communities not unlike Blatten.
