Flood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse
The huge barricade of debris formed when the Birch glacier collapsed on Wednesday has blocked the river Lonza in Switzerland's southern Wallis region, fuelling concern the dam of rubble could give way and flood the valley.
But as reconnaissance flights and inspections progressed, authorities said the water from the newly formed lake, which has been slowly submerging the remaining houses in the obliterated village of Blatten, was beginning to find its way over, through and around the blockage.
"This development is positive, but we remain cautious," said Stephane Ganzer, head of the regional security department.
"The risk remains, even if it is diminishing," he told a press conference, stressing that "no evacuations are planned" in the villages downstream in the Lotschental valley, one of the most beautiful in southern Switzerland.
The outflow "makes us optimistic and suggests that the water is finding a good path", explained Christian Studer of the Wallis canton's Natural Hazards Service.
However, work to pump water from the lake has still not begun as the ground remains too unstable, particularly on the mountainside.
The Lotschental valley stretches for just under 30 kilometres (20 miles) and is home to around 1,500 inhabitants.
It is renowned for the beauty of its landscapes dominated by snow-capped peaks, its small traditional villages, and its spectacular hiking trails.
But its face has been forever changed by the glacier collapse.
One person still missing
Authorities remain on alert, and communities downstream from the landslide, including in the Rhone Valley, which the Lonza flows into, are nonetheless preparing for a possible evacuation.
An artificial dam in the village of Ferden, downstream in the Lotschental valley, has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say.
One 64-year-old man, believed to have been in the danger zone at the time, remains missing.
The collapsed glacier destroyed most of Blatten, which had been home to 300 people and was evacuated last week due to the impending danger.
"That shows the importance of early warnings and early action," Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization, told a press briefing in Geneva.
"The landscape will never be the same again. The village will never be the same again. But it is an example of how we can use forecasts and warnings to save people's lives," she said.
Nullis said the Swiss had provided a "textbook example" of what should be done, but stressed that not all countries had such highly developed early warning systems in place.
The landslide was so heavy it was even picked up by Switzerland's seismographs.
"This is probably the most catastrophic event for the last 150 years in Switzerland and probably in the whole Alps," in terms of a rock and ice avalanche, Christophe Lambiel, senior lecturer at the University of Lausanne's Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, told AFP.
'Erased within seconds'
The glacier was below the 3,342-metre (10,965-foot) high Kleines Nesthorn peak.
In the fortnight before its collapse, a series of falls from the mountain dumped three million cubic metres of rock onto the ice surface.
That increased the weight, and with the glacier on a steep slope, it ultimately gave way in dramatic fashion, plunging down on Blatten, at 1,540 metres' altitude in the valley floor.
Experts said it was too early to make a direct link to climate change, but told AFP that thawing permafrost in the cracks in the rock likely played a role in destabilising the mountain.
Matthias Huss, the director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS), said the drastic collapse might bring global attention to the Alpine glaciers, and ultimately the impact of climate change on them.
"Often a big disaster has to strike before people realise that something is going on," he told AFP.
"It's very tangible: the destruction of a whole village is easily understandable to everybody. People have lived there for hundreds of years -- and everything has been erased within seconds."
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Swiss glacier collapse underscores urgency of efficient warning systems elsewhere, experts say
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say. Footage of the May 28 collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the hamlet of Blatten. Ali Neumann, disaster risk reduction advisor to the Swiss Development Cooperation, noted that while the role of climate change in the specific case of Blatten 'still needs to be investigated', the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere – the part of the world covered by frozen water. 'Climate change and its impact on the cryosphere will have growing repercussions on human societies that live near glaciers, near the cryosphere, and depend on glaciers somehow and live with them,' he said. The barrage largely destroyed Blatten, but the evacuation of its 300 residents last week averted mass casualties, although one person remains missing. 'It also showed that with the right skills and observation and management of an emergency, you can significantly reduce the magnitude of this type of disaster,' Neumann said at an international UN-backed glacier conference in Tajikistan. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said it showed the need for vulnerable regions like the Himalayas and other parts of Asia to prepare. 'From monitoring, to data sharing, to numerical simulation models, to hazard assessment and to communicating that, the whole chain needs to be strengthened,' Uhlenbrook said. 'But in many Asian countries, this is weak, the data is not sufficiently connected.' Need better warning systems Swiss geologists use various methods, including sensors and satellite images, to monitor their glaciers. Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said last year, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. But many Asian nations, particularly in the Himalayas, lack the resources to monitor their vast glaciers to the same degree as the Swiss. According to a 2024 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report, two-thirds of countries in the Asia and Pacific region have early warning systems. But the least developed countries, many of whom are in the frontlines of climate change, have the worst coverage. 'Monitoring is not absent, but it is not enough,' said geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). 'Our terrains and climatic conditions are challenging, but also we lack that level of resources for intensive data generation.' That gap is reflected in the number of disaster-related fatalities for each event. While the average number of fatalities per disaster was 189 globally, in Asia and the Pacific it was much higher at 338, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' Emergency Events Database. Heightened risk of landslides Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warn. Hundreds of lakes formed from glacial meltwater have appeared in recent decades. They can be deadly when they burst and rush down the valley. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides. Declan Magee, from the Asian Development Bank's Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, said that monitoring and early warnings alone are not enough. 'We have to think ... about where we build, where people build infrastructure and homes, and how we can decrease their vulnerability if it is exposed,' he said. Nepali climate activist and filmmaker Tashi Lhazom described how the village of Til, near to her home, was devastated by a landslide earlier in May. The 21 families escaped – but only just.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Swiss glacier collapse offers global warning of wider impact
Footage of the May 28 collapse showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside, into the hamlet of Blatten. Ali Neumann, disaster risk reduction advisor to the Swiss Development Cooperation, noted that while the role of climate change in the specific case of Blatten "still needs to be investigated", the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere -- the part of the world covered by frozen water. "Climate change and its impact on the cryosphere will have growing repercussions on human societies that live near glaciers, near the cryosphere, and depend on glaciers somehow and live with them," he said. The barrage largely destroyed Blatten, but the evacuation of its 300 residents last week averted mass casualties, although one person remains missing. "It also showed that with the right skills and observation and management of an emergency, you can significantly reduce the magnitude of this type of disaster," Neumann said at an international UN-backed glacier conference in Tajikistan. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director for Hydrology, Water and Cryosphere at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said it showed the need for vulnerable regions like the Himalayas and other parts of Asia to prepare. "From monitoring, to data sharing, to numerical simulation models, to hazard assessment and to communicating that, the whole chain needs to be strengthened," Uhlenbrook said. "But in many Asian countries, this is weak, the data is not sufficiently connected." 'Not enough' Swiss geologists use various methods, including sensors and satellite images, to monitor their glaciers. Asia was the world's most disaster-hit region from climate and weather hazards in 2023, the United Nations said last year, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties and economic losses. But many Asian nations, particularly in the Himalayas, lack the resources to monitor their vast glaciers to the same degree as the Swiss. According to a 2024 UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report, two-thirds of countries in the Asia and Pacific region have early warning systems. But the least developed countries, many of whom are in the frontlines of climate change, have the worst coverage. "Monitoring is not absent, but it is not enough," said geologist Sudan Bikash Maharjan of the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). "Our terrains and climatic conditions are challenging, but also we lack that level of resources for intensive data generation." That gap is reflected in the number of disaster-related fatalities for each event. While the average number of fatalities per disaster was 189 globally, in Asia and the Pacific it was much higher at 338, according to the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters' Emergency Events Database. Geoscientist Jakob Steiner, who works in climate adaptation in Nepal and Bhutan, said it is not as simple as just exporting the Swiss technological solutions. "These are complex disasters, working together with the communities is actually just as, if not much more, important," he said. 'Sad disparity' Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters, scientists warn. Hundreds of lakes formed from glacial meltwater have appeared in recent decades. They can be deadly when they burst and rush down the valley. The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides. Declan Magee, from the Asian Development Bank's Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, said that monitoring and early warnings alone are not enough. "We have to think... about where we build, where people build infrastructure and homes, and how we can decrease their vulnerability if it is exposed", he said. Nepali climate activist and filmmaker Tashi Lhazom described how the village of Til, near to her home, was devastated by a landslide earlier in May. The 21 families escaped -- but only just.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Flood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse
The huge barricade of debris formed when the Birch glacier collapsed on Wednesday has blocked the river Lonza in Switzerland's southern Wallis region, fuelling concern the dam of rubble could give way and flood the valley. But as reconnaissance flights and inspections progressed, authorities said the water from the newly formed lake, which has been slowly submerging the remaining houses in the obliterated village of Blatten, was beginning to find its way over, through and around the blockage. "This development is positive, but we remain cautious," said Stephane Ganzer, head of the regional security department. "The risk remains, even if it is diminishing," he told a press conference, stressing that "no evacuations are planned" in the villages downstream in the Lotschental valley, one of the most beautiful in southern Switzerland. The outflow "makes us optimistic and suggests that the water is finding a good path", explained Christian Studer of the Wallis canton's Natural Hazards Service. However, work to pump water from the lake has still not begun as the ground remains too unstable, particularly on the mountainside. The Lotschental valley stretches for just under 30 kilometres (20 miles) and is home to around 1,500 inhabitants. It is renowned for the beauty of its landscapes dominated by snow-capped peaks, its small traditional villages, and its spectacular hiking trails. But its face has been forever changed by the glacier collapse. One person still missing Authorities remain on alert, and communities downstream from the landslide, including in the Rhone Valley, which the Lonza flows into, are nonetheless preparing for a possible evacuation. An artificial dam in the village of Ferden, downstream in the Lotschental valley, has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say. One 64-year-old man, believed to have been in the danger zone at the time, remains missing. The collapsed glacier destroyed most of Blatten, which had been home to 300 people and was evacuated last week due to the impending danger. "That shows the importance of early warnings and early action," Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization, told a press briefing in Geneva. "The landscape will never be the same again. The village will never be the same again. But it is an example of how we can use forecasts and warnings to save people's lives," she said. Nullis said the Swiss had provided a "textbook example" of what should be done, but stressed that not all countries had such highly developed early warning systems in place. The landslide was so heavy it was even picked up by Switzerland's seismographs. "This is probably the most catastrophic event for the last 150 years in Switzerland and probably in the whole Alps," in terms of a rock and ice avalanche, Christophe Lambiel, senior lecturer at the University of Lausanne's Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, told AFP. 'Erased within seconds' The glacier was below the 3,342-metre (10,965-foot) high Kleines Nesthorn peak. In the fortnight before its collapse, a series of falls from the mountain dumped three million cubic metres of rock onto the ice surface. That increased the weight, and with the glacier on a steep slope, it ultimately gave way in dramatic fashion, plunging down on Blatten, at 1,540 metres' altitude in the valley floor. Experts said it was too early to make a direct link to climate change, but told AFP that thawing permafrost in the cracks in the rock likely played a role in destabilising the mountain. Matthias Huss, the director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS), said the drastic collapse might bring global attention to the Alpine glaciers, and ultimately the impact of climate change on them. "Often a big disaster has to strike before people realise that something is going on," he told AFP. "It's very tangible: the destruction of a whole village is easily understandable to everybody. People have lived there for hundreds of years -- and everything has been erased within seconds." © 2025 AFP
