Latest news with #Wallis
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Terrifying satellite images show how tiny Swiss village of Blatten was completely wiped out by massive glacier collapse
New terrifying satellite images have revealed how a tiny Swiss village was completely wiped out by a massive glacier collapse. The remote Alpine village of Blatten was flattened after an avalanche of rock, mud and ice was sent crashing down into the valley. Once home to around 300 people, it now lies buried beneath a vast expanse of debris after the Birch Glacier broke off on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say 90 per cent of the village has been destroyed. New satellite pictures reveal the true scale of the disaster, showing where homes, farmland and roads once stood, now completely smothered by mud and rubble. The river Lonza, which runs through the valley, has been blocked by the landslide, which had raised fears of further flooding. But as reconnaissance flights and inspections continued, authorities said 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, adding that 'no evacuations are planned' in the villages downstream in the Lötschental valley, one of the most picturesque regions 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. One 64-year-old man is still missing. He was believed to be in the area at the time. Switzerland's president has pledged support for those forced to flee the Alpine village of Blatten, telling evacuees they are 'not alone' after a devastating glacier-triggered landslide wiped out homes and businesses. Karin Keller-Sutter made the comments on Friday after surveying the destruction by helicopter. She said the government was now working to calculate ways to help those affected by the disaster. 'The force with which the mountain here wiped out an entire village is indescribable,' said Keller-Sutter. 'I'd like to tell you all that you're not alone. The whole of Switzerland is with you — and not just (people) in Switzerland.' Officials have limited access to the area and warned that huge deposits of debris, stacked tens of metres high across a 2-kilometre stretch of the valley, have blocked the Lonza River and formed a new lake. New satellite pictures reveal the true scale of the disaster, showing where homes, farmland and roads once stood, now completely smothered by mud and rubble The future course of the water remains uncertain. 'Unfortunately, the danger has not yet been averted,' Keller-Sutter added. Separate drone footage shown by national broadcaster SRF showed a vast plain of mud and soil completely covering part of the village and the river running through it. At around 3:30pm local time, a huge chunk of the Birch glacier broke off, according to emergency services in the Wallis region. Local police said the missing 64-year-old man was a local resident who was in the area at the time of the incident. A search and rescue operation was launched, with three 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. The village, including residents and a herd of 52 cows, had mostly been evacuated this week amid fears the 52mn cubic ft glacier was days away from collapse. 'We've lost our village,' Matthias Bellwald, the mayor of Blatten told a press conference after the slide. 'The village is under rubble. We will rebuild.' The glacier collapse had been expected for several days, and there have been no reports of injuries. 'An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,' said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. Stephane Ganzer, an official in the canton of Valais where Blatten is located, told Swiss media that about 90% of the village was covered by the landslide. 'it's a major catastrophe that has happened here in Blatten,' he said, adding: 'There's a risk that the situation could get worse,' alluding to the blocked river. He said the army had been mobilised after earlier indications that the movement of the glacier was accelerating. Experts consulted by Reuters said it was difficult to assess the extent to which rising temperatures spurred by climate change had triggered the collapse because of the role the crumbling mountainside had played. Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich, said while various factors were at play in Blatten, it was known that local permafrost had been affected by warmer temperatures in the Alps. The loss of permafrost can negatively affect the stability of the mountain rock which is why climate change had likely played a part in the deluge, Huggel said. The extent of the damage to Blatten had no precedent in the Swiss Alps in the current or previous century, he added.
Yahoo
5 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
5 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.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Swiss town BURIED after horror avalanche thunders down mountain in huge landslide & submerges homes & causes evacuation
A SWISS town has been buried after a devastating landslide sent a massive avalanche crashing down the mountain, submerging homes and forcing residents to evacuate. A massive cloud of ice and debris surged towards the small village of Blatten, completely wiping it out. 8 8 8 Fortunately, the village of 300 residents were evacuated a week earlier after experts warned them of the impending danger. The glacier collapse registered as an earthquake with a Richter scale measurement of 3.1. Drone footage from Swiss broadcaster SRF showed the entire village covered by a vast plain of mud and soil, with a river running through it. Emergency crews in the Wallis region revealed that a huge chunk of the Birch glacier broke off at around 3.30pm local time. The Swiss government has dispatched the army to the scene after local authorities requested assistance. Although no injuries or deaths have been reported, the residents of Blatten will not be able to return, as the entire village has been destroyed. Matthias Bellwald, Blatten's mayor, said: "The unimaginable has happened. "We have lost our village, but not our heart. "We will support each other and console each other." Blatten's residents have been promised funding from the Swiss government to house them in the local area. Horror avalanche kills three skiers after dragging them several hundred metres down 9,000ft mountain However, Raphaël Mayoraz, head of the regional Natural Hazards office, warned that more evacuations could be needed in towns near the Blatten area. Experts had been closely monitoring the glacier's movements, which intensified before triggering the massive avalanche. "An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley," said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. Local authorities were deploying by helicopter and across the area to assess the damage, Jonas Jeitziner, a spokesman for the Ltschental crisis center, told The Associated Press by phone. 8 8 8 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. 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 community. Brienz was evacuated again last year because of the threat of a further rockslide. It comes after a British man was killed after he was swept 50ft to his death in a horrific avalanche at the popular French ski resort Val Thorens. And a skier who died in a massive avalanche in the French Alps had his body discovered thanks to his elbow still sticking out from the snow. 8 8
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Swiss glacier collapse destroys parts of village
A massive glacier has collapsed in southern Switzerland, partly destroying the small village of Blatten, which had been evacuated recently because of the impending danger. At about 3.30pm (1330 GMT), a huge collapse occurred on the Birch glacier, emergency services in the Wallis region said. Numerous homes in Blatten, normally home to 300 people, were destroyed, Jonas Jeitziner, at the regional emergency management service, told Switzerland's Keystone-ATS domestic news agency. The glacier collapse had been expected for several days. Footage posted on YouTube shows a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountain and into the valley where the village is located. The debris reached the houses. There had been a significant increase in activity on the glacier on Tuesday night, which intensified on Wednesday. Glaciers have retreated in recent years in the Alps due to warming that most scientists attribute to the climate crisis. Swiss glaciers melted as much in 2022-23 as in 1960-90, losing about 10% of their total volume. Snow covering Switzerland's glaciers at the end of winter this year was 13% below the 2010-20 average, according to a glacier experts.
