Some landslide-hit Swiss village residents able to visit homes

Some of the residents of Blatten (VS) were able to visit their homes Keystone-SDA

The residents of two hamlets in Blatten, Switzerland, were able to visit their homes following a landslide that devasted the village.

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Thirteen residents of Eisten and Weissenried were airlifted by helicopter above the scree cone.

Once they had arrived at their homes, located away from the cone of rubble that buried the village, they were able to take some basic necessities with them, the Lötschental regional command headquarters told Keystone-ATS.

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Although some visits have been possible, the situation in the landslide zone is still too delicate to begin clearing away the debris. The risk of mudslides in the valley remains unchanged compared to the previous day, said the Emergency Operations Centre.

The start of clearing work will be assessed on an ongoing basis depending on the safety situation. Several small mudslides occurred on Wednesday on the scree cone in the area of the former Birch glacier, but did not extend beyond the former glacier bed.

The authorities also noted that small rockfalls continued to occur on the Petit Nesthorn. However, the level of the lake at Blatten was slightly lower than the previous day. Downstream of the landslides, the Lonza is being closely monitored as far as its junction with the Rhône, and driftwood is being regularly removed.

Army remains operational

On Thursday, the Swiss army assured the public that it would remain available in Blatten for the long term. For the time being, the necessary equipment will remain on site so that it can be deployed quickly if required. As for the soldiers, they are returning to the holding area.

In this area, they are continuing their preparations for deployment. They train in rescue techniques, the use of water pumps, shovels and other clearing equipment, as well as lighting equipment.

The tasks of observing the terrain and regulating traffic, hitherto performed by the military, have been taken over by civilian bodies since Thursday. The Swiss Air Force also remains on standby to transport equipment and people if necessary.

Solidarity with Blatten

Over the past few days, several cantons, communes and private individuals have shown their support for the people of Blatten.

Swiss Solidarity has collected almost CHF 12million in donations in just one week. The canton of Valais, which is directly affected by the disaster, is providing CHF 10million in emergency aid for the people of Blatten.

For its part, the Valais Cantonal Bank has announced a donation of CHF1 million to help rebuild the village.

The Geneva cantonal council wants to release CHF1 million to respond rapidly to the urgent needs of those affected by the disaster. On Wednesday evening, the Geneva city council unanimously approved a loan of CHF500,000 for the municipality of Blatten.

The canton of Bern has also made half a million francs available to the municipality in Valais.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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