As a result of the collapse of the glacier in the Swiss canton of Vale, most of the village of Blatten was buried under the masses of ice, dirt and debris. The authorities reported that no one died and suffered in the disaster, but dozens of houses were destroyed or flooded.
Search and rescue services continue to search for a 65-year-old man who is missing. The collapse also caused underground shocks with magnitude 3.1, felt in the region.
Due to the increased water level and the risk of new landslides, the evacuation of residents from nearby villages began. Earlier, on May 19, almost all 300 residents of Blatten were evacuated by the decision of the authorities after the warning of high seismic and glacial activity.
Switzerland President Karin Keller-Zutter expressed condolences to the victims. “Losing a house is a terrible test. My thoughts are with the inhabitants of Blatten,” she wrote on the social network x.
The catastrophe again attracted attention to the risks associated with the melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alps, aggravated by climatic changes. The collapsed Burkh glacier was recognized as unstable several weeks ago, and local authorities declared an “emergency” in the Lenchental region.