Overview

• Early warning systems prompted the full evacuation of Blatten’s 300 residents before the Birch Glacier collapsed on May 28, averting casualties.
• The collapse deposited debris across a two-kilometer stretch, damming the Lonza River and creating an artificial lake that threatened downstream valleys.
• By May 30, reconnaissance flights confirmed the lake was beginning to drain naturally, easing the immediate flood danger to the Lotschental and Rhone valleys.
• Authorities have suspended new evacuations but maintain vigilance and have prepared contingency plans and hazard maps for downstream villages.
• One 64-year-old man remains missing as search efforts pause for safety, and the Swiss government has mobilized relief and reconstruction aid for displaced communities.