In Switzerland, glacier collapse destroyed village, one person missing

A large part of a glacier broke off in the Swiss Alps, causing a landslide of rocks, ice and mud that covered about 90% of the territory of the village of Blatten in the Canton of Valais. One resident is missing. The Guardian writes about this.

300 villagers were evacuated on May 19, when geologists warned of the risk of a collapse. Drones recorded that a large part of the village was completely covered with silt and debris, including the bed of the Lonza River, which increased the likelihood of dams.

"You could say that 90% of the village was destroyed or completely buried. This is a large-scale disaster," said Stephane Ganzer, head of the regional security service.

"We have lost our village. It is under rubble. But we will rebuild it," said the mayor of the village, Matthias Bellwald.

According to local government spokesman Matthias Ebener, huge volumes of ice and rocks "thundered down into the valley." Homes and infrastructure were destroyed, although mass casualties were avoided thanks to early evacuations.

Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed support for local residents and urged people not to approach the area of ​​the tragedy due to the risk of repeated landslides.

"It's terrible to lose your home," she wrote on the social network X.