This afternoon, a massive avalanche of ice, mud, and rock buried the picturesque Swiss village of Blatten. It was triggered when a huge chunk of ice broke off from the Birch Glacier, which lies directly below Kleines Nesthorn, whose summit partly broke off last week, on May 19.
Seeing Blatten buried again and again, from every angle…
Properly staggering! 😮😱 pic.twitter.com/fQYBZRQAZf
— Melaine Le Roy (@subfossilguy) May 28, 2025
The disaster struck around 3:30 pm local time and destroyed many homes. One person is missing, according to BBC. Yesterday, the glacier started to collapse.
Blatten residents and even the livestock were evacuated on May 19 because of the glacier’s instability.
Blatten, before and after the collapse. Photo: Facebook
Local authorities described the situation as “very bad.” Drone footage showed a deluge of debris sweeping through the valley, accompanied by a deafening roar and a massive cloud of dust. The collapse, triggered by weeks of rockfall from 3,341m Kleines Nesthorn, deposited approximately nine million tons of debris, overwhelming avalanche barriers and damming the Lonza River.
Over 130 buildings are reported buried, though the upstream part of the village was spared.
The canton of Valais has declared a “special situation” and mobilized the Swiss army’s disaster relief unit to help clear debris and secure the riverbed. But many of Blatten’s 300 residents may never return to their homes.
File image of Blatten, before the disaster. Photo: Jerry Kobalenko
According to Euronews, experts warn that further collapses could worsen the situation.
Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost have destabilized the Alps. Glaciologists have long warned of such risks, noting that Swiss glaciers lost 10% of their volume between 2022 and 2023 alone.
