Situation calm overnight above Swiss village facing avalanche

Situation above Blatten VS remained calm during the night Keystone-SDA

The situation in the Valais village of Blatten, which is threatened by a landslide, remained calm on Monday night. The anxiety continues, however, especially for the 300 evacuated residents.

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There were no major collapses on the Kleine Nesthorn during the night, said a spokesperson for the Lötschental regional command centre early on Tuesday morning at the request of the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.

The last major collapse above Blatten occurred early on Monday evening. Part of the summit broke off in pieces between 5pm and 6pm, the spokesman told Keystone-SDA late in the evening. The demolition was first reported by the Walliser Bote and Swiss radio and television.

+ Landslide threat: authorities order evacuation of Swiss mountain village

According to the spokesperson from the regional command staff, 150,000 to 200,000 cubic metres of rock came loose. However, this was not the expected major event. It is expected that further pieces of rock will come loose.

Population evacuated due to landslide risk

At the last count, one to three million cubic metres of rockfall material was expected, said Alban Brigger, engineer for natural hazards in Upper Valais, on Monday afternoon. It is a matter of hours and not necessarily days that there will be further demolitions. “Our aim is to ensure that no one is harmed,” said Brigger at a media conference.

The mayor of Blatten, Matthias Bellwald, told the media: “Five days ago, nobody would have thought that a mountain that we have admired for years and considered immovable would move.” The subsidence on the Kleiner Nesthorn has accelerated rapidly since last week and the cracks have become visible, according to the mayor.

The evacuation of the entire village was therefore ordered. It was uncertain when the 300 people would be able to return to their homes. “We hope that people will be able to return as quickly as possible,” said Bellwald.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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