US EditionSwiss Glacier Collapses, Destroying 90% of Alpine Village
- A massive landslide buried about 90% of the Swiss village of Blatten on Wednesday near the Birch Glacier in the Ltschental valley.
- The collapse occurred because mountain permafrost melted, destabilizing the rock face above the glacier amid broader global warming trends.
- Authorities evacuated approximately 300 people and all livestock from Blatten before the event, while similar glacier collapses have caused deaths in Italy, Tibet, and Peru.
- Switzerland lost 4% of its glacier volume in 2023 and experts warn many glaciers, including those in the Alps, could disappear this century due to accelerating ice loss.
- The event highlights the acute effects of glacier loss on local populations and reinforces that climate change will continue to drive glacier collapses despite mitigation efforts.
530 Articles
530 Articles
Glacier collapse in Blatten, Switzerland—A portent of an ecological catastrophe
On May 28, a mass of rock, ice, mud and water crashed down on and buried the mountain village of Blatten in the Swiss canton of Valais. Only a few houses remained standing, and these are now flooded by a pool of water that has formed behind the debris.
KHQ Right Now
Swiss glacier collapse offers global warning of wider impact
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say.
InsideNoVA.com
Flood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse
An artificial lake building up behind the rubble left by a glacier that dramatically plunged down a Swiss mountainside, destroying a village, is beginning to drain, authorities said Friday, reducing fears of a second catastrophe.
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