Glacier collapse triggers massive mudslide in Swiss village | Before and after visuals emerge

A massive chunk of rock and ice from a glacier collapsed down a Swiss mountainside on Wednesday, unleashing a torrent of mud and debris that engulfed nearly the entire Alpine village of Blatten in the Lötschental valley. Authorities had evacuated the area earlier this month as a precaution.

Footage shared on social media and broadcast on Swiss television showed plumes of dust rising as the mudslide tore through the area, partially submerging homes and buildings in thick brown sludge. Regional police confirmed that a 64-year-old man had been reported missing, and search and rescue operations were ongoing, including the use of drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.

“About 90% of the village is covered or destroyed — it’s a major catastrophe here in Blatten,” said Stephane Ganzer, head of security for the southern Valais region, speaking to local broadcaster Canal9.

According to a statement from the regional government, the collapse was triggered by a large section of the Birch Glacier breaking away. The resulting landslide also buried the nearby Lonza River bed, prompting concerns over potential flooding due to blocked water flow.

“There is a risk that the situation could worsen,” Ganzer warned, citing the obstruction of the river. He added that the Swiss army had been deployed in response to signs that the glacier’s movement was accelerating.

At a press conference, Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rösti described the incident as “an extraordinary event” and pledged government support for displaced residents.

In recent days, officials had evacuated around 300 people and removed all livestock from the village amid growing fears that the 1.5 million cubic metre (52 million cubic feet) glacier was on the verge of collapse.

Emergency teams, including helicopters, were being deployed across the affected area to assess the scale of the damage, said Jonas Jeitziner, a spokesperson for the Lötschental crisis centre.

Swiss glaciologists have raised repeated concerns about the rapid melting of glaciers in recent years, attributing the trend largely to global warming. Switzerland, home to more glaciers than any other country in Europe, lost 4% of its total glacier volume in 2023 — the second-largest annual decline on record, following a 6% loss in 2022.

In 2023, the village of Brienz in eastern Switzerland was similarly evacuated shortly before a massive rockfall narrowly missed the community. It was evacuated again last year due to renewed landslide threats.