{"id":672770,"date":"2025-05-31T12:28:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T09:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/flood-fears-recede-after-swiss-glacier-collapse\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T12:28:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T09:28:39","slug":"flood-fears-recede-after-swiss-glacier-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/flood-fears-recede-after-swiss-glacier-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Flood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bd7225d3e0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3bd7225d3e0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/flood-fears-recede-after-swiss-glacier-collapse\/#One_person_still_missing\" >One person still missing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/flood-fears-recede-after-swiss-glacier-collapse\/#%E2%80%98Erased_within_seconds\" >&#8216;Erased within seconds&#8217;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/an-artificial-lake-has.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/an-artificial-lake-has.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"An artificial lake has formed near the village of Blatten, destroyed in the glacier collapse.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/an-artificial-lake-has.jpg\" alt=\"An artificial lake has formed near the village of Blatten, destroyed in the glacier collapse\" title=\"An artificial lake has formed near the village of Blatten, destroyed in the glacier collapse.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                An artificial lake has formed near the village of Blatten, destroyed in the glacier collapse.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>An artificial lake building up behind the rubble left by a glacier that dramatically plunged down a Swiss mountainside, destroying a village, is beginning to drain, authorities said Friday, reducing fears of a second catastrophe.<\/p>\n<p>The huge barricade of debris formed when the Birch glacier collapsed on Wednesday has blocked the river Lonza in Switzerland&#8217;s southern Wallis region, fueling concern the dam of rubble could give way and flood the valley.<\/p>\n<p>But as reconnaissance flights and inspections progressed, authorities said the water from the newly formed lake, which has been slowly submerging the remaining houses in the obliterated village of Blatten, was beginning to find its way over, through and around the blockage.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This development is positive, but we remain cautious,&#8221; said Stephane Ganzer, head of the regional security department.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The risk remains, even if it is diminishing,&#8221; he told a press conference, stressing that &#8220;no evacuations are planned&#8221; in the villages downstream in the Lotschental valley, one of the most beautiful in southern Switzerland.<\/p>\n<p>The outflow &#8220;makes us optimistic and suggests that the water is finding a good path&#8221;, explained Christian Studer of the Wallis canton&#8217;s Natural Hazards Service.<\/p>\n<p>However, work to pump water from the lake has still not begun as the ground remains too unstable, particularly on the mountainside.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/swiss-president-karin.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/swiss-president-karin.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (L) visited the disaster area.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/swiss-president-karin.jpg\" alt=\"Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (L) visited the disaster area\" title=\"Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (L) visited the disaster area.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter (L) visited the disaster area.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Lotschental valley stretches for just under 30 kilometers (20 miles) and is home to around 1,500 inhabitants.<\/p>\n<p>It is renowned for the beauty of its landscapes dominated by snow-c<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed peaks, its small traditional villages, and its spectacular hiking trails.<\/p>\n<p>But its face has been forever changed by the glacier collapse.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"One_person_still_missing\"><\/span>One person still missing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Authorities remain on alert, and communities downstream from the landslide, including in the Rhone Valley, which the Lonza flows into, are nonetheless preparing for a possible evacuation.<\/p>\n<p>An artificial dam in the village of Ferden, downstream in the Lotschental valley, has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say.<\/p>\n<p>One 64-year-old man, believed to have been in the danger zone at the time, remains missing.<\/p>\n<p>The collapsed glacier destroyed most of Blatten, which had been home to 300 people and was evacuated last week due to the impending danger.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-firefighter-shows-a.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-firefighter-shows-a.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A firefighter shows a woman the area affected by a massive landslide in the Lotschental valley.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-firefighter-shows-a.jpg\" alt=\"A firefighter shows a woman the area affected by a massive landslide in the Lotschental valley\" title=\"A firefighter shows a woman the area affected by a massive landslide in the Lotschental valley.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                A firefighter shows a woman the area affected by a massive landslide in the Lotschental valley.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;That shows the importance of early warnings and early action,&#8221; Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization, told a press briefing in Geneva.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The landscape will never be the same again. The village will never be the same again. But it is an example of how we can use forecasts and warnings to save people&#8217;s lives,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Nullis said the Swiss had provided a &#8220;textbook example&#8221; of what should be done, but stressed that not all countries had such highly developed early warning systems in place.<\/p>\n<p>The landslide was so heavy it was even picked up by Switzerland&#8217;s seismographs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is probably the most catastrophic event for the last 150 years in Switzerland and probably in the whole Alps,&#8221; in terms of a rock and ice avalanche, Christophe Lambiel, senior lecturer at the University of Lausanne&#8217;s Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, told AFP.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-dam-in-ferden-has-be.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-dam-in-ferden-has-be.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A dam in Ferden has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/a-dam-in-ferden-has-be.jpg\" alt=\"A dam in Ferden has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say\" title=\"A dam in Ferden has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                A dam in Ferden has been emptied and should be able to contain any downward rush of water, authorities say.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Erased_within_seconds\"><\/span>&#8216;Erased within seconds&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The glacier was below the 3,342-meter (10,965-foot) high Kleines Nesthorn peak.<\/p>\n<p>In the fortnight before its collapse, a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of falls from the mountain dumped three million cubic meters of rock onto the ice surface.<\/p>\n<p>That increased the weight, and with the glacier on a steep slope, it ultimately gave way in dramatic fashion, plunging down on Blatten, at 1,540 meters&#8217; altitude in the valley floor.<\/p>\n<p>Experts said it was too early to make a direct link to climate change, but told AFP that thawing permafrost in the cracks in the rock likely played a role in destabilizing the mountain.<\/p>\n<p>Matthias Huss, the director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS), said the drastic collapse might bring global attention to the Alpine glaciers, and ultimately the impact of climate change on them.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article-gallery js-article-gallery\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/the-glacier-collapsed.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-glacier-collapsed.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The glacier collapsed into the valley below.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/the-glacier-collapsed.jpg\" alt=\"The glacier collapsed into the valley below\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    The glacier collapsed into the valley below.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/a-swiss-air-force-heli.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/a-swiss-air-force-heli.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A Swiss air force helicopter flies above the scene of the collapsed Birch Glacier.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/a-swiss-air-force-heli.jpg\" alt=\"A Swiss air force helicopter flies above the scene of the collapsed Birch Glacier\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    A Swiss air force helicopter flies above the scene of the collapsed Birch Glacier.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/the-evacuated-small-vi.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/the-evacuated-small-vi.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The evacuated small village of Blatten was largely destroyed by the rock and ice fall, with the remaining houses flooding.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/the-evacuated-small-vi.jpg\" alt=\"The evacuated small village of Blatten was largely destroyed by the rock and ice fall, with the remaining houses flooding\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    The evacuated small village of Blatten was largely destroyed by the rock and ice fall, with the remaining houses flooding.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;Often a big disaster has to strike before people realize that something is going on,&#8221; he told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s very tangible: the destruction of a whole village is easily understandable to everybody. People have lived there for hundreds of years\u2014and everything has been erased within seconds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFlood fears recede after Swiss glacier collapse (2025, May 31)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 31 May 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-05-recede-swiss-glacier-collapse.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-05-recede-swiss-glacier-collapse.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artificial lake has formed near the village of Blatten, destroyed in the glacier collapse. An artificial lake building up behind the rubble left by a glacier that dramatically plunged down a Swiss mountainside, destroying a village, is beginning to drain, authorities said Friday, reducing fears of a second catastrophe. The huge barricade of debris&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":672771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/an-artificial-lake-has.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-672770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=672770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/672771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=672770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=672770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=672770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}