Swiss glacier collapse: Situation stabilizes overnight – DW – 05/31/2025
with dpa along with Austrian and Swiss media
Following the dramatic rock fall and glacier collapse on Wednesday in the Swiss Lötschental valley, officials said on Saturday that the situation had eased.
One fear had been that the Lonza River, which had been backed up behind the ice, rock and debris, could result in a flood wave.
However, officials said the river had found new paths down the valley in the southern Swiss canton of Valais.
Construction machinery has been deployed to control the run-off of accumulated water.
The municipalities of Gampel and Steg informed residents of the work, saying: "The aim is to ensure the smooth flow of debris and alluvial debris through the bed of the Lonza stream within the villages."
Authorities expressed relief that the Lonza River has begun to flow down the valley, reducing the risk of a flood swell Image: Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/picture alliance
What did authorities say about the Swiss glacier on Saturday?
Stephane Ganzer, from the Valais state council, said that there had been no major problems overnight.
The situation on Saturday was "currently satisfactory" and the night had been "quite quiet," Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.
The council decided on Friday evening to open a nearby dam, warning residents downstream to make way for the water.
Residents were already on alert and ready to evacuate in the case of a dangerous swell of water behind the debris cone.
The heat has sped up the melting of the glacier ice and rain has been forecast for the next days. Both could lead to a buildup of accumulated water and increase the risk of further landslides.
Further evacuations after Swiss glacier collapse
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Blatten: Buried village to be rebuilt
The glacier collapse was caused by rockfalls from 3,000 meters (9842.5 feet) that crashed into the Birsch Glacier, triggering the landslide on Wednesday afternoon.
Millions of cubic meters of ice and rock were sent crashing through the Lötschental valley and burying the village of Blatten, which had already been evacuated.
Water from the Lonza was then blocked behind the almost 2-kilometre-long debris cone.
Blatten's municipal president Matthias Bellwald said the village would be rebuilt.
"Blatten is under a debris cone. Together we will do what is humanly possible to rebuild the village for the village to have a future. Together we are strong," Swiss newspaper the Neue Zürchner Zeitung quoted him as saying at a press conference.
Work has begun to remove large objects blocking the flow of water Image: Cyril Zingaro/KEYSTONE/dpa
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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