Overview

• Officials evacuated Blatten on May 19 after detecting mounting landslide danger beneath the Birschgletscher.
• On May 28 roughly nine million cubic meters of ice and rock swept into the Lötschental, burying homes and infrastructure.
• Search teams uncovered human remains in the debris on June 24 and forensic tests confirmed they belonged to the 64-year-old shepherd.
• Authorities are monitoring the debris dam created by the landslide to assess its stability and potential downstream flood risks.
• The canton of Wallis is crafting aid packages and village reconstruction plans while probing how permafrost thaw may raise future Alpine hazards.