Latest news with #Lotschental
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Man missing after glacier in Switzerland collapses and destroys village
A 64-year-old man is missing after a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier crashed down a Swiss mountainside. The landslide sent plumes of dust into the sky and coated with mud nearly all of an Alpine village that authorities had evacuated earlier this month as a precaution. Advertisement State councilor Stephane Ganzer told Radio Television Suisse that 90% of the village was destroyed. The Cantonal Police of Valais said that a search and rescue operation was under way for the man, whose name has not been made public, and it involved a drone with a thermal camera. The avalanche one day after the collapse of the Birch Glacier (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) 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 Lotschental valley, partially submerged homes and other buildings under a mass of sludge. Advertisement In recent days, authorities had ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock, from the village amid fears that the 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 climate change – 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.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
One missing as village largely destroyed in Swiss glacier collapse
A massive glacier collapse in the Swiss Alps on Wednesday largely destroyed the village of Blatten, with one person missing, authorities said. The village in the Lotschental valley, home to 300 people, had been evacuated last week due to the impending danger. The huge collapse on the Birch Glacier in Switzerland's southern Wallis region happened at around 3:30 pm. Officials said the missing person, a 64-year-old man, was not one of the evacuated residents, and added that there were no known injuries. "The unimaginable has happened," Blatten's president Matthias Bellwald told a press conference. "We have lost our village, but not our hearts. "Even though the village lies under a huge pile of rubble, we know where our homes and our church must be rebuilt," he added. The glacier collapse had been expected for several days. Footage posted on YouTube showed a huge cloud of ice and scree hurtling down the mountain slope and into the valley where the village is located. The mud and rockfall hit the houses. "The worst-case scenario has occurred," said Raphael Mayoraz, head of the Wallis canton's Natural Hazards Service. He said three million cubic metres of material had accumulated on the glacier, and then tumbled down into the valley. "This is a very rare event," he said. "We don't know exactly what's still up there, but most of it has fallen." - Search and rescue effort - Swiss national broadcaster RTS aired drone footage showing the debris had subsumed and smashed buildings, and pushed homes into one another. Wallis police said the missing 64-year-old man was a local resident who, according to their information, was in the area at the time of the incident. A search and rescue operation was launched, with three rescue specialists airlifted to the scene, while a drone with a thermal imaging camera was also used. "Despite significant efforts, the man has still not been found," police said. Mayoraz said a blockage two kilometres long had formed in the valley floor, where the Lonza river flows, with a small lake growing behind it. "It's like a small mountain," he said. Though unlikely, a debris flow cannot be ruled out completely, he added. "That's a risk we have to monitor," he said. - 'Nature is stronger' - "It's terrible to lose your home. In these difficult times, my thoughts are with the residents of Blatten," Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter wrote on X. Two of Switzerland's seven government ministers, defence and civil protection minister Martin Pfister and environment minister Albert Rosti, went to the valley. Pfister called it a disaster of "striking proportions". "We assure you of our support, today and in the weeks and probably years to come," he told the press conference, adding that the army was on its way. Rosti said the government "will do everything possible to give Blatten a future, although it will take a lot of effort and time". "Nature is stronger than humankind, as mountain dwellers know," he added. A significant increase in activity was observed on the glacier from Tuesday night and intensified during Wednesday. The Alps mountain range in Europe has seen its glaciers retreat in recent years due to warming that most scientists attribute to climate change. Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume. vog-rjm/giv
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Climate
- News.com.au
Village of 300 people completely erased in ‘unimaginable' glacier crash
A massive glacier collapse in the Swiss Alps largely destroyed the village of Blatten, with one person missing, authorities said. The village in the Lotschental Valley, home to 300 people, had been evacuated last week due to the impending danger. The huge collapse on the Birch Glacier in Switzerland's southern Wallis region happened at around 3:30pm on Wednesday, local time. Officials said the missing person, a 64-year-old man, was not one of the evacuated residents and added that there were no known injuries. 'The unimaginable has happened,' Blatten's president Matthias Bellwald told a press conference. 'We have lost our village, but not our hearts.' 'Even though the village lies under a huge pile of rubble, we know where our homes and our church must be rebuilt,' he added. The glacier collapse had been expected for several days. Footage posted on YouTube showed a huge cloud of ice and scree hurtling down the mountain slope and into the valley where the village is located. The mud and rockfall hit the houses. 'The worst-case scenario has occurred,' said Raphael Mayoraz, head of the Wallis canton's Natural Hazards Service. He said three million cubic metres of material had accumulated on the glacier, and then tumbled down into the valley. 'This is a very rare event,' he said. 'We don't know exactly what's still up there, but most of it has fallen.' Search and rescue effort Swiss national broadcaster RTS aired drone footage showing the debris had subsumed and smashed buildings and pushed homes into one another. Wallis police said the missing 64-year-old man was a local resident who, according to their information, was in the area at the time of the incident. A search and rescue operation was launched, with three rescue specialists flown to the scene, while a drone with a thermal imaging camera was also used. 'Despite significant efforts, the man has still not been found,' police said. Mayoraz said a blockage 2km long had formed in the valley floor, where the Lonza river flows, with a small lake growing behind it. 'It's like a small mountain,' he said. Though unlikely, a debris flow cannot be ruled out completely, he added. 'That's a risk we have to monitor,' he said. 'Nature is stronger' 'It's terrible to lose your home. In these difficult times, my thoughts are with the residents of Blatten,' Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter wrote on X. Two of Switzerland's seven government ministers, defence and civil protection minister Martin Pfister and environment minister Albert Rosti, went to the valley. Pfister called it a disaster of 'striking proportions'. 'We assure you of our support, today and in the weeks and probably years to come,' he told the press conference, adding that the army was on its way. Rosti said the government 'will do everything possible to give Blatten a future, although it will take a lot of effort and time'. 'Nature is stronger than humankind, as mountain dwellers know,' he added. A significant increase in activity was observed on the glacier from Tuesday night and intensified during Wednesday. The Alps mountain range in Europe has seen its glaciers retreat in recent years due to warming that most scientists attribute to climate change. Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 per cent of their volume.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Swiss village destroyed by landslide in ‘major catastrophe'
A huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier has thundered down a mountainside in Switzerland, destroying nearly all of a village in the valley below. Video on social media and Swiss TV showed the mudslide near Blatten, in the southern Lotschental valley, with homes and buildings partially submerged under a mass of brown sludge. Advertisement 'What I can tell you at the moment is that about 90% 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 the southern Valais region, told local TV channel Canal9. Villagers were evacuated before the mudslide (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) The regional government said in a statement that a large chunk of the Birch Glacier located above the village had broken off, causing the landslide which as well as covering the village had also buried the nearby Lonza River bed, raising the possibility of dammed water flows. Mr Ganzer said it was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured, and that the army had been mobilised after earlier indications that the movement of the glacier was accelerating. 'There's a risk that the situation could get worse,' he told Canal9, alluding to the blocked river. Advertisement In recent days the authorities had ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock from the village, amid fears that a 1.5 million cubic metre glacier above the village was at risk of collapse. Local authorities deployed across the area to assess the damage and whether there has been any casualties, Jonas Jeitziner, a spokesman for the Lotschental crisis centre, told The Associated Press by phone. In 2023, residents of the village of Brienz, in eastern Switzerland, were evacuated before a huge mass of rock slid down a mountainside, stopping just short of the settlement. Brienz was evacuated again last year because of the threat of a further rockslide.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Mudslide hits Swiss Alpine village which was evacuated days earlier
A huge mass of rock and ice has caused damage near a village in the Swiss Alps that authorities evacuated earlier this month as a precaution. Video on social media showed the rumbling mudslide near Blatten, in the southern Lotschental valley. Images from the scene appeared to show several cabins partially submerged. Advertisement In recent days the authorities had ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock from the village, amid fears that a 1.5 million cubic metre glacier above the village was at risk of collapse. Villagers were evacuated (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) Local authorities were deploying across the area to assess the damage and whether there has been any casualties, Jonas Jeitziner, a spokesman for the Lotschental crisis centre, said. In 2023, residents of the village of Brienz, in eastern Switzerland, were evacuated before a huge mass of rock slid down a mountainside, stopping just short of the settlement. Brienz was evacuated again last year because of the threat of a further rockslide.
