Video Shows Glacier Collapse Destroy Village—’Catastrophe’

Dramatic video footage broadcast on Swiss television and widely shared on social media captured the precise moment a collapsing glacier destroyed most of a village in Switzerland.

The footage of the Birch Glacier’s collapse on Wednesday showed a violent surge of ice, rock and mud followed by a dense dust cloud that quickly enveloped the Alpine village of Blatten, with homes disappearing beneath thick brown sludge.

The event, which officials called a “major catastrophe,” followed a recent evacuation.

Why It Matters

Switzerland, home to Europe’s largest concentration of glaciers, has suffered a notable loss in glacier mass in recent years.

According to The Associated Press, in 2023, it lost 4 percent of its total glacier volume, marking the second-largest annual decline following a 6 percent decrease in 2022.

What To Know

Stéphane Ganzer, the head of security for the Valais region, told Canal9 TV, “What I can tell you at the moment is that about 90 percent of the village is covered or destroyed, so it’s a major catastrophe that has happened here in Blatten,” according to The Associated Press.

Authorities reported a 64-year-old man missing, prompting a search operation aided by drones with thermal imaging.

Officials had ordered the evacuation of the village’s approximately 300 residents and all livestock in advance due to concerns over danger posed by the 1.5 million-cubic meter (over 52 million cubic feet) Birch Glacier above the village.

The glacier collapse then triggered a landslide that buried much of Blatten and blocked the nearby Lonza River, raising additional concerns about flooding.

“There’s a risk that the situation could get worse,” said Ganzer, according to The Associated Press.

Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rösti called the disaster “an extraordinary event” in a news conference, the outlet reported, adding that support would be provided to those who lost their homes as a result of the disaster.

What People Are Saying

Valais Cantonal Police said in a media statement: “The missing person is a 64-year-old resident of the region, who, according to our information, was in the area concerned at the time of the event.

Despite the great efforts made, the man has still not been found. Various additional measures and options for locating the person are continuously analyzed. The search continues.”

When asked how he felt about the future, Jonas Jeitziner, a local official from neighboring Wiler, said per Reuters: “Right now, the shock is so profound that one can’t think about it yet.”

“I don’t want to talk just now. I lost everything yesterday. I hope you understand,” said a middle-aged woman from Blatten, who declined to give her name, Reuters also reported.

What Happens Next

“The water from the River Lonza cannot flow down the valley because there is an enormous plug,” geologist Raphael Mayoraz told Swiss national broadcaster SRF, according to Reuters.

According to Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps, 16 people from the villages of Kippel and Wiler, located downstream from the disaster zone, have also been evacuated.