Man remains missing after a Swiss glacier collapsed and destroyed 90% of an Alpine village
A 64-year-old man remained missing Thursday after a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier crashed down a Swiss mountainside the day before.
The landslide sent plumes of dust skyward and coated with mud nearly all of an Alpine village that authorities had evacuated earlier this month as a precaution. State Councilor Stéphane Ganzer told Radio Télévision Suisse that 90% of the village was destroyed.
The Cantonal Police of Valais said that a search and rescue operation was underway for the man, whose name wasn't made public, and it involved a drone with a thermal camera.
The regional government said in a statement that a large chunk of the Birch Glacier above the village had broken off, causing the landslide, which also buried the nearby Lonza River bed, raising the possibility of dammed water flows.
Video on social media and Swiss television showed that the mudslide near Blatten, in the southern Lötschental valley, partially submerged homes and other buildings under a mass of brownish sludge.
In recent days, authorities had ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock, from the village amid fears that the 1.5 million-cubic meter (52 million-cubic foot) glacier was at risk of collapse.
Swiss glaciologists have repeatedly expressed concerns about a thaw in recent years — attributed in large part to global warming — that has accelerated the retreat of glaciers in Switzerland.
The landlocked Alpine country has the most glaciers of any country in Europe, and saw 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023. That was the second-biggest decline in a single year after a 6% drop in 2022.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Furtwängler: Symphony No 2 album review – conductor's own massive work has real curiosity value
Wilhelm Furtwängler may have become one of the greatest conductors of the first half of the 20th century, but as a teenager his musical aspirations were focused firmly on becoming a composer. That ambition faded in his 20s and 30s as his success as a conductor increased, and it wasn't until the 1930s, when he was in his late 40s, that Fürtwängler returned to composition, perhaps as an escape from the ever worsening political situation in Germany and Austria, and the pressures that the Nazis placed upon him. From then until his death in 1954, he produced a succession of large-scale works, the most significant of which were three symphonies. The Second Symphony, which Fürtwängler began in January 1945, immediately after taking refuge from the Nazis in Switzerland, is the most massive of them and regarded as his finest achievement; Neeme Järvi's performance with the Estonian orchestra, which, while recognising the work's massiveness, never seems unnecessarily slow, lasts 74 minutes. Yet it's a strange, problematic work, easier to admire than to like, and built from an amalgam of Romantic voices from Schumann to Richard Strauss with Bruckner and Brahms featuring most prominently. From moment to moment the music is pleasant enough, but without ever becoming truly memorable; themes tend to move in predictable, stepwise fashion and developments are worked out at pedantic length. Järvi's recording joins versions by Barenboim, Jochum and Fürtwängler himself already in the catalogue; if it's a work that carries real curiosity value, it's one that few are likely to want to hear very often. This article includes content hosted on We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Listen on Apple Music (above) or Spotify
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
England Euros build-up 'doesn't feel like crisis'
England manager Sarina Wiegman says her team's build-up to Euro 2025 "doesn't feel like a crisis at all" despite a chaotic 10 days which has seen three high-profile senior players either retire from international football or withdraw from the named a 23-player squad on Thursday for the tournament in Switzerland, which starts on 2 July, where England are defending will be without goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby, who have both retired from international football, while defender Millie Bright, who captained the side to the World Cup final in 2023, withdrew from selection to focus on her mental and physical loss of three players who have won a combined 217 caps in such a sort time has led to a potentially unsettling period for the Lionesses - and distractions off the pitch dominated discussions at the end of their Women's Nations League campaign this Wiegman says she is happy with the atmosphere inside the England camp."You [the media] see part of it, you are not in our environment all the time and I can ensure that the training sessions were really good last week," said the Dutchwoman."I didn't see anything [to suggest] that there were no connections within the team. I am really happy [with] where we are right now."Wiegman had to address issues around player's performance-related bonuses in the build-up to the World Cup and there was also heavy scrutiny on her decision to omit former captain Steph Houghton from the Euro 2022 squad in her first year in charge. "My experiences before is that there is always noise. We expect noise until we go into the tournament," said Wiegman. "The difference is, between 2015 and 2017 to now, is that the attention and visibility of the women's game has increased so much."It seems like there is more noise but there's just more journalists here. Which is right. It shows what we are doing. We have to deal with it and move on. Which we have." 'I don't go around the bush' Wiegman said she was feeling "good" despite it being a week full of difficult decisions and retirement followed Wiegman's decision not to include her in the Euros squad, while goalkeeper Earps was unhappy at her position as number two. Wiegman said it is "part of the job" to endure those experiences but she can "move forward" to the Euros now."Yes, those hard conversations are not nice. I know what players do and how hard they work to make the squad. It's hard to give disappointing messages," she added. "At the same time, I also had very nice messages to give so that gives me more energy."After I have conversations with players, I always think, 'OK, what went well?' For me, it is really important that I am honest, that I treat people in the right way."Sometimes, you have very good news and, sometimes, you don't have good news - and I don't go around the bush with that. "I just give that message, then I can't always control how people respond to that. I just hope that they have the clarity to move on."Wiegman also said part of the growth of women's football, and the success of the Lionesses, has added increased demands on her withdrawal has been a blow for England as Wiegman said the Chelsea captain would have been selected had she not ruled herself when she was made aware of Bright's decision, she said: "In the last couple of days I found out. It was sad and disappointing. "It's not nice when you don't feel well physically and mentally and I just hope she feels better soon. "England's profile is growing. That's life changing and very exciting but at the same time players are not robots. They have to deal with these things too. "That's also why we're trying to support them as well as possible on and off the pitch. Hopefully many players stay fit and healthy." Head here to get involved
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Lionesses squad for Euro 2025 announced with Earps, Bright and Kirby replaced
Sarina Wiegman has announced England 's 23-player squad for the upcoming European Championship title defence in Switzerland, including Lauren James, who has recovered from a hamstring injury. Lotte Wubben-Moy replaces Millie Bright, who withdrew to focus on her mental and physical health, while Maya Le Tissier was also picked in defence. Following Mary Earps ' international retirement, uncapped goalkeepers Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse will serve as deputies to Hannah Hampton. The squad includes 19-year-old forward Michelle Agyemang and veteran Nikita Parris, while Fran Kirby retired after being informed she would not be selected. England's Euro 2025 campaign begins against France in Zurich before matches against the Netherlands and Wales in Group D; Wiegman selected 13 players from the Euro 2022 winning squad, with seven set to make their tournament debuts.
