A catastrophic glacier collapse has turned a postcard-perfect Swiss village into a scene of devastation, leaving residents reeling and scientists pointing to climate change. 🌨️💥 On Wednesday, millions of cubic meters of ice, rock, and mud cascaded down from the crumbling Birch Glacier, swallowing nearly all of Blatten village. Over 300 residents had been evacuated in May as the mountain showed signs of instability – a decision that likely saved lives.
One 64-year-old man remains missing, with search efforts halted due to dangerous conditions. Emergency teams face a “nightmare scenario”: unstable terrain, flooding risks from the blocked Lonza River, and melting glacier ice raising water levels by 80cm/hour. 🚨 While officials say catastrophic flooding is now “unlikely,” Valais security chief Stephane Ganzer warned: “We know that unlikely can become likely.”
The disaster erased entire neighborhoods. Werner Bellwald, 65, lost his family home dating to 1654: “You can’t tell there was ever a settlement there.” 🏚️ Scientists say such events reveal how rapidly warming temperatures are destabilizing Alpine ecosystems – a climate wake-up call written in ice and rubble.
