Latest news with #rockslide
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
The European village visited by thousands of tourists a day and loved by filmmakers - but could one day be destroyed by 'the world's tallest tsunami'
A picturesque village visited by thousands of tourists everyday and favoured as a backdrop by filmmakers could one day cease to exist. Set amid magnificent mountains and a beautiful fjord, it is no surprise that Hellesylt has become a popular destination for cruise ships. It has even featured in the Mission Impossible franchise in an adrenaline packed scene showing Tom Cruise riding a motorbike off a mountaintop and falling through the sky. But if tourists want to get a glimpse of the charming village, it is best to book travel now rather than later. According to National Geographic, Hellesylt is at risk of being flooded by one of the 'tallest tsunamis in history'. The nearby mountain Åkerneset has a 230-foot split down its front making it 'one of the most hazardous rock fractures in the world'. Growing by as much as three and a half inches per year due to erosion, the rock is at risk of collapsing into the fjord below and triggering one of the 'tallest tsunamis in history'. Reaching an estimated 338 feet, the massive wave would swallow schools, hospitals and around 10,000 homes in nearby fjord villages, including Hellesylt. It is not known when the rockslide-induced tsunami will take place but an early warning system is already in place. Lasers pointed at Åkernes will detect even the smallest of movements, notifying up to 10,000 residents in nearby fjord villages including Hellesylt when they should evacuate their homes. A new drainage system that pumps water out of the mountain has also been installed in an attempt to stabilise the cliffside. Scientists believe that climate change will only increase the rate of erosion on Åkernes as the rock cliff fills up with water from rainfall and melting permafrost. For now, Hellesylt is still open to travellers who can marvel at its UNESCO-listed fjord landscape. One TripAdvisor user described it as the 'absolute highlight of my trip to Norway'. Popular activities in and around the quaint village include tours of the fjords by boat or kayak. Many also visit the Hellesyltfossen waterfall - one of the most photographed natural features in the area. The Hellesyltfossen waterfall is one of the most photographed natural features in the area Another visitor took to TripAdvisor said: 'We visited Hellesylt on a cruise, and to be honest I can't really say much about it apart from the fact that it is a stunningly beautiful village, with an impressive waterfall crashing through the centre of it. 'Paths allow you to view it from above and below, and you can also visit the church. 'The views speak for themselves, and I would definitely go again!' For those seeking a more thrilling adventure, Hellesylt's jagged landscape is the perfect playground for extreme sports including e-biking through the mountains and white water kayaking.
Fast Company
2 days ago
- General
- Fast Company
Glacier melt, driven by climate change, buries 90% of this Swiss village
Swiss residents were struggling on Thursday to absorb the scale of devastation caused by a huge chunk of glacier that has buried most of their picturesque village, in what scientists suspect is a dramatic example of the impact of climate change on the Alps. A deluge of ice, mud and rock crashed down the mountain on Wednesday, engulfing some 90% of the village of Blatten. Its 300 residents had already been evacuated earlier in May after part of the mountain behind the Birch Glacier began to crumble. However, rescue teams with search dogs were still scouring the area on Thursday for a missing 64-year-old man after an initial scan with thermal drones found nothing. As the Swiss army closely monitored the situation, some experts warned of the risks of flooding as vast mounds of debris almost two kilometers across are clogging the path of the River Lonza, causing a huge lake to swell amid the wreckage. 'I don't want to talk just now, I lost everything yesterday. I hope you understand,' said one middle-aged woman from Blatten, declining to give her name as she sat alone disconsolately in front of a church in the neighbouring village of Wiler. Nearby, the road ran along the valley before ending abruptly at the mass of mud and debris now blanketing her own village. Just a few roofs poked up through the sea of sludge. A thin cloud of dust hung in the air over the Kleines Nesthorn Mountain where the rockslide occurred while a helicopter buzzed overhead. Martin Henzen, another Blatten resident, said he was still trying to process what had occurred and did not want to speak for others in the village, saying only: 'Most are calm, but they're obviously affected.' They had been making preparations for some kind of natural disaster but 'not for this scenario,' he added, referring to the scale of destruction. 'ENORMOUS PLUG' But the immediate dangers might not be over. 'The water from the River Lonza cannot flow down the valley because there is an enormous plug,' Raphael Mayoraz, a cantonal geologist, told Swiss national broadcaster SRF. 'The worst case scenario is possible flooding.' Up to one million cubic meters of water are accumulating daily as a result of the debris damming up the river, said Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich. Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities, said some residents of neighbouring villages had been evacuated as a precaution. The incident has revived concern about the impact of rising temperatures on Alpine permafrost which has long frozen gravel and boulders in place, creating new mountain hazards. For years, the Birch Glacier has been creeping down the mountainside, pressured by shifting debris near the summit. Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), pointed to the likely influence of climate change in loosening the rock mass in the permafrost zone, which triggered this week's collapse. 'Unexpected things happen at places that we have not seen for hundreds of years, most probably due to climate change,' he told Reuters.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
One person missing after Glacier collapse buries parts of Swiss village under mud and rock
One person is missing after a huge chunk of a glacier in the Swiss Alps broke off, causing a deluge of ice, mud and rock to bury part of the mountain village of Blatten on Wednesday. Authorities had been monitoring the slopes above Blatten since ordering residents to leave their homes earlier this month as a precautionary measure due to the risk of a rockslide. Social media footage captured the rumbling mudslide as it cascaded down the southern Lötschental valley. Images from the scene showed several cabins partially submerged in the debris. In recent days, authorities had ordered the evacuation of approximately 300 residents and all livestock from the village. This action was prompted by concerns that a 1.5 million cubic meter glacier situated above Blatten was in danger of collapsing. Local authorities were being deployed by helicopter and across the area to assess the damage and whether there had been any casualties, Jonas Jeitziner, a spokesperson for the Lötschental crisis centre, said. "An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley," said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. One person was missing, Ebener said. Buildings and infrastructure in the village nestled in the Loetschental valley in southern Switzerland were hit hard by the rockslide. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with the local population as emergency services warned people that the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away, closing off the main road into the valley. "It's terrible to lose your home," Keller-Sutter said on X. 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.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Glacier collapses burying evacuated Swiss village in mud and rocks
A huge section of a glacier in the Swiss Alps has broken off, causing a deluge of ice, mud and rock to bury most of a village evacuated earlier this month due to the risk of a rockslide. Footage showed a vast plain of mud and soil covering the village after the Birch Glacier partially collapsed. A river that runs through the village was also inundated, along with the wooded sides of the surrounding valley
Sky News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News
One person missing after mudslide buries Swiss mountain village
One person is missing after a deluge of rock, mud and ice buried 90% of a Swiss mountain village, officials have said. It came after a glacier overlooking the settlement of Blatten, in southern Switzerland, partially collapsed on Wednesday, sending the debris raining down. "An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley," Matthias Ebener, a spokesman for local authorities in the Valais canton. He also confirmed one person was missing. Approximately 300 residents, as well as livestock, were evacuated from the area on 19 May after geologists warned that a 1.5 million cubic meter (52 million cubic feet) glacier overlooking the village was at risk of imminent collapse. Local councillor Stephane Ganzer told Swiss media that the mud and rockslide "at first glance covered 90% of the village". Footage shared on social media showed the moment the debris came down, leaving behind destroyed buildings and other infrastructure in the village, which is nestled in the Loetschental valley. Emergency services warned people that the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with villagers.
