A Swiss Alpine village has been buried by a massive debris field after a glacier collapsed on a nearby mountain.
Reuters reports that 90% of Blatten, Switzerland is engulfed by ice, mud, and rock after what scientists suspect is a dramatic display of the impact of climate change on mountain communities.
The community of 300 had been evacuated prior to the collapse of the Birch Glacier, but at least one 64-year-old man is still missing.
Where is Blatten, Switzerland?
Glacier collapse, before and after: Video of the glacier collapse: More photos of Blatten before and after the landslide:
After a glacier on a nearby mountain collapsed, a huge debris field buried a Swiss Alpine village. Ninety percent of Blatten, Switzerland, has been covered in ice, mud, and rock, according to Reuters. Scientists believe this is a dramatic demonstration of how climate change is affecting mountain communities.
“We now have left the space of historical precedence and entered an era where we face new hazards from locations that have never been a problem in the past and where protection may be technically hardly possible or financially unfeasible,” Christian Huggel, in an email to USA TODAY, said.
Despite the evacuation of the 300-person community before the Birch Glacier collapse, at least one man, 64, remains unaccounted for. Due to instability in the debris, police halted their search on May 29. A river that has been blocked by glacial debris is increasing the likelihood of flooding and more evacuations, which would worsen the situation in the already devastated area, according to Reuters. How the disaster happened is depicted in the video, satellite photos, maps, and pictures below.
Where is Switzerland’s Blatten?
Before and after the collapse of a glacier.
This is a video of the glacier retreating.
Additional images of Blatten taken both before and after the landslide.
