Birch Glacier Collapse Buries Swiss Village Blatten, One Missing

On May 28, 2025, the village of Blatten in Switzerland's Lötschental Valley was buried under a massive landslide triggered by the partial collapse of the Birch Glacier. About 90% of the village's structures were destroyed by millions of cubic meters of ice, rock, and mud, with the disaster registering as a 3.1 magnitude earthquake. Residents, including livestock, had been evacuated a week prior due to warnings about the glacier's instability, but one 64-year-old man remains missing. The landslide blocked the Lonza River, causing flooding and raising concerns about further evacuations and long-term recovery, which local officials estimate could take years. Swiss authorities, including the army, have been deployed to assist with debris removal and to support affected residents, while the government has pledged funding to help relocate and rebuild the community. The catastrophe has drawn national and international attention to the escalating risks posed by climate change to alpine regions and the vulnerability of mountain communities.