Particle.news
Download on the App Store
48 ARTICLES
·
16h ago

Massive Glacier Collapse Buries 90% of Swiss Alpine Village

Rescuers search for a missing man as authorities warn of potential flooding from the blocked Lonza River

The village of Blatten on May 18, 2025, before it was buried by rock and mud.
A large avalanche with a mixture of ice, rock, snow and water reach the valley floor is pictured in Wiler after the Birch glacier collapsing above Blatten, Switzerland, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
Image
Blatten, Switzerland, on May 28, 2025.

Overview

  • The village of Blatten was evacuated on May 19 after geologists identified the risk of an imminent glacier collapse.
  • On May 28, a section of the Birch Glacier fell, unleashing millions of cubic meters of ice, rock and mud that destroyed about 90% of the village.
  • Search and rescue teams, including drones and Swiss army personnel, are pursuing a 64-year-old man still missing in the debris.
  • The landslide has dammed the Lonza River, raising concerns that trapped waters could trigger secondary flooding downstream.
  • The federal government has pledged financial assistance to help displaced residents rebuild and experts attribute the collapse in part to climate-accelerated glacier melt.