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A catastrophic glacier collapse in the Swiss Alps has devastated the mountain village of Blatten, burying nearly the entire settlement under a torrent of ice, mud, and rock. Authorities have confirmed that 90% of the village has been destroyed, with one person currently unaccounted for.
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The disaster struck on Wednesday afternoon, after weeks of intense geological monitoring prompted a full evacuation of the 300 residents from Blatten on 19 May, with one person unaccounted for.
A previous landslide on 18 May had raised alarms about the instability of the Birch Glacier looming above the village.
Drone footage reveals a vast swathe of debris covering the valley on Wednesday, including homes, roads, and the Lonza riverbed. Wooden buildings lie shattered along the mud-strewn slopes in what officials are calling a major natural disaster.
Experts say millions of cubic metres of earth have since thundered into the Lötschental valley. “An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,” said Matthias Ebener, a local authority spokesperson, as per Reuters.
Stephane Ganzer, head of security for the Valais region, told local reporters: “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.”
There is concern that the situation could deteriorate further. Authorities are now concerned about blocked water flows from the Lonza River, which could pose additional flood risks.
Support has been mobilised quickly. The Swiss army’s disaster relief unit has been called in, and the national government has pledged funding to help displaced residents stay within the region.
President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her condolences, posting on social media: “It’s terrible to lose your home. I feel for the residents of Blatten at this time,” she wrote.
Es ist schlimm, wenn man seine Heimat verliert. Ich fühle in diesen Stunden mit den Bewohnerinnen und Bewohnern von Blatten. pic.twitter.com/BArZbIAQSn
— Karin Keller-Sutter (@keller_sutter) May 28, 2025
Though the full cause remains under investigation, scientists say warming temperatures likely played a role.
Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich, told Reuters that while various factors were at play in Blatten, it was known that local permafrost had been affected by warmer temperatures in the Alps.
The melting of permafrost can negatively impact the stability of mountain rock, which is why climate change is likely to have contributed to the deluge, Huggel suggested.
Blatten’s tragedy is part of a growing trend in the Alps.
In recent years, villages like Brienz and Bondo have also faced large-scale evacuations and deadly landslides linked to unstable mountain terrain.
The latest glaciology reports suggest that all of Switzerland’s glaciers could vanish within the next century if global warming exceeds 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
For now, residents of Blatten face the painful reality of loss—but also the promise of rebuilding. “We have lost our village, but not our heart,” said Mayor Bellwald. “After a long night, it will be morning again.”
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