Overview

• A late-May avalanche of roughly three million cubic meters of ice, rock and debris overwhelmed Blatten after its 300 residents were evacuated in advance.
• The Swiss government estimates reconstruction costs in the hundreds of millions of francs and has approved 5 million francs in federal emergency aid plus 10 million from Canton Wallis.
• Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter and Environment Minister Albert Rösti are coordinating relief and support for villagers who lost homes, farms and businesses.
• Officials are evaluating proposals to rebuild Blatten at a safer site, with geologists continuing to assess ongoing permafrost-related risks in the Lötschental.
• Climate studies show the Alps have warmed nearly 3 °C since pre-industrial times, driving permafrost thaw that experts say is undermining mountain stability.