Massive landslide from Birch Glacier collapse buries Blatten, Switzerland
A massive landslide triggered by the collapse of the Birch Glacier destroyed the village of Blatten, Switzerland, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. One person has been reported missing, and many houses were completely flattened.
Blatten village buried in Debris after Birch Glaciers Collapse on May 28, 2025. Credit: Xavier Roseren
The Birch Glacier collapsed on Wednesday, May 28, partially destroying the village of Blatten. The village had been evacuated days earlier due to concerns about the glacier’s instability, following warnings from geologists.
“An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,” said Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities in the southwestern canton of Valais. Ebener reported that one person is missing and many homes have been completely destroyed.
According to the authorities, around 3 million m3 (106 million ft3) of rock, ice and debris fell from the mountain onto the village during the glacier collapse.
“The unimaginable has happened. We have practically lost the visible village. I’m glad we were able to evacuate the residents and the whole village,” said the mayor of Blatten.
Drone footage of the village showed the village being partially buried by the debris from the glacier’s collapse.
According to Ebener, buildings and infrastructure in Blatten, whose approximately 300 inhabitants were evacuated on May 19 after geologists identified the risk of an imminent avalanche, were heavily damaged by the landslide.
Evacuations in the village had begun on May 17 due to the risk of rockfalls and landslides. By May 19, nearly the entire population had been evacuated along with livestock as part of pre-emptive measures.
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Feature image credit: Xavier Roseren
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
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