Swiss mountain municipality partly evacuated due to landslide threat
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Swiss mountain municipality partly evacuated due to landslide threat
Part of the municipality of Blatten in canton Valais had to be evacuated on Saturday evening for safety reasons after a landslide earlier this week.
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A landslide in the “Petit Nesthorn” region, which also swept away part of the Birch glacier, triggered a torrential flow a few days ago in the Lötschental valley in canton Valais. It stopped about 500 metres upstream of the Lonza river, outside the village of Blatten.
Due to continuing instability, there is a real risk of a landslide, said authorities in Blatten on Saturday night. To protect the population, part of the municipality to the south of the Lonza was evacuated.
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Calm night
The situation then remained calm throughout the night, a local official told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Sunday. With no major changes noted, observation posts have been set up to continue to monitor the threatened area.
The road between Ried and Blatten was closed on Saturday night. It was reopened in the morning but remains under surveillance. Two hiking trails have also been closed by the authorities until further notice.
The Birch glacier has been under surveillance since the 1990s. According to local authorities, the reason for the current danger could be the imminent snowmelt at altitudes of 2,500 metres and above.
Authorities were due to provide further information on the situation early on Sunday afternoon.
Translated from French by DeepL/dos
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