Swiss authorities have declared a state of emergency after the Birch glacier collapsed in the southern canton of Valais, burying the hamlet of Blatten under tons of ice, rock, and scree. The village had been evacuated last week, but a 64-year-old man is missing.
The massive debris pile, stretching two kilometres, has blocked the river Lonza, prompting fears of flooding. “There is a serious risk of an ice jam that could flood the valley below,” said military official Antoine Jacquod.
Officials are monitoring a growing lake behind the debris and have emptied an artificial dam to absorb overflow. Sixteen people were evacuated from nearby villages late Wednesday as a precaution.
The collapse, triggered by a sudden rockfall involving three million cubic metres of material, registered as a seismic event.
