Overview

• Geologists issued warnings on May 19 that the 1.5 million m³ Birch Glacier was unstable, prompting the evacuation of Blatten’s 300 residents and livestock
• SRF drone footage showed waves of ice, mud and rock covering homes, roads and the valley floor in the Lötschental region
• Valais Cantonal Police, Swiss army and civil protection units are using helicopters and thermal-imaging drones to search for a missing 64-year-old man
• Debris has dammed the Lonza River, raising concerns that an accumulating reservoir could unleash flooding downstream
• The federal government has pledged financial aid for displaced villagers and experts link the collapse to climate-driven glacier melt and permafrost thaw