Swiss mountain village threatened by serious landslide risk

The mountain above the village of Blatten, canton Valais, remains unstable and movements and rock falls are continuously being recorded. Keystone-SDA

The situation in the mountain village of Blatten, canton Valais, remains serious due to the threat of a landslide, Swiss officials said on Sunday afternoon.

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Part of the municipality of Blatten in southern Switzerland was evacuated on Saturday evening. A total of 92 residents and 16 guests were forced to leave due to the dangers.

The risks are constantly being reassessed, Blatten officials said late on Sunday. An adjustment to the evacuation perimeter cannot be ruled out, if necessary.

The mountain above the village remains unstable and movements and rock falls are continuously being recorded. Current measurement data and a reconnaissance flight carried out on Saturday morning confirm that the affected slope is becoming increasingly dynamic, according to a press statement. Within a few days, the mountain has subsided by several metres and large cracks have been spotted.

The local road between Ried and Blatten is open to traffic every day between 5h and 9:30pm. It is closed at night.

Evacuation went smoothly

According to the municipality, the evacuation on Saturday evening was calm and orderly. Everyone was able to find suitable accommodation quickly. According to the municipality, the first night after the evacuation was calm.

The municipal authorities appealed to the population to strictly follow instructions. The evacuated area must not be entered and barriers must not be passed under any circumstances.

The evacuation at the weekend followed a rockfall in the region of the Kleiner Nesthorn mountain (3,341m). Rocks crashed onto the Birch Glacier, triggering a debris flow. This came to a halt around 500 metres above the River Lonza just outside Blatten.

The Birch Glacier has been under observation since the 1990s. The municipality suspects that snow melting at around 2,500 metres could have caused the current dangerous situation.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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