Blatten Glacier Collapse Destroys Swiss Village

A devastating landslide triggered by a massive glacier collapse in the Swiss Alps has destroyed nearly the entire village of Blatten, located in the Valais Canton of southern Switzerland. The Blatten Glacier Collapse, which occurred on Wednesday, came just nine days after approximately 300 residents were evacuated from the area due to looming risks from the Birch Glacier.

The glacier rupture released a catastrophic mix of ice, mud, and rocks, burying the village under a thick layer of debris. According to Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for the region’s crisis management team, at least one person is still missing following the disaster.

Stunning footage captured by drones and other cameras recorded the moment the glacier gave way, sending a huge plume of dust cascading down the mountainside. The Birch Glacier, which was already covered with around nine million tons of debris, had been sliding between eight and eleven feet per day toward the valley floor in the days leading up to the landslide, as estimated by a government engineer.

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The village of Blatten on May 18 and after the landslide on Wednesday.

At a news conference on Wednesday, officials explained that while the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, the path to recovery will take years. Matthias Bellwald, the mayor of Blatten, expressed the community's deep loss, stating:

“We’ve lost the village, but not the heart.”

Further confirming the scale of the devastation, Stéphane Ganzer, a state councilor for the Valais Canton, told SRF, Switzerland’s national radio and television broadcaster, that 90 percent of Blatten had been buried beneath the landslide.

On social media, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter shared a photo of the destruction, commenting on the tragedy:

"It is terrible to lose a home. My thoughts are with the people of Blatten."

The landslide was so intense that it registered as a 3.1-magnitude earthquake, raising additional concerns about potential flooding in the area. Officials warned that a riverbed near the site has been blocked by the debris, significantly increasing the risk of ice jams and water overflow. They have not ruled out the possibility of further evacuations if the situation worsens.

In response to the escalating danger, regional authorities have requested military assistance, including pumps and debris-clearing equipment, to help mitigate the flood threat, as confirmed by the State Council for Valais.

The disaster also disrupted transportation. The main road connecting Blatten to the neighboring village of Goppenstein has been closed to all traffic, except for residents who need access to their homes or properties.

The risk had been apparent for some time. For nearly two weeks, the fractured Birch Glacier had been looming ominously over the quaint village, perched in the scenic Lötschental Valley. Fearing a collapse, dozens of livestock were evacuated in advance, including approximately 52 cattle, along with sheep and domestic rabbits.

One particular moment gained international attention: images circulated online showing an injured female cow being airlifted to safety by helicopter. While unusual to some, airlifting livestock is a common practice in the Alps during extreme conditions or emergencies faced by local farmers.

This tragedy in Blatten follows a similar near-disaster in 2023, when the village of Brienz, Switzerland, narrowly escaped destruction. In that case, a portion of the mountain dislodged and sent 50 million cubic feet of rock tumbling just short of a schoolhouse. Roughly 85 residents of Brienz had already been evacuated weeks prior, preventing casualties. Later that same year, Brienz again faced the threat of another landslide, prompting further evacuations.

Now, less than 60 miles southwest of Brienz, Blatten has become a stark example of the devastating impact of glacial instability, raising fresh concerns about the growing risks posed by climate-related geological events in the Alpine region.