A gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris has buried a large part of the village of Blatten in Lötschental in Canton Valais after a major glacier collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Numerous houses were destroyed. One local man was reported missing. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox A large section of the Birch Glacier below the landslide area, which was at risk of falling, broke off in one go at around 3:30pm on Wednesday afternoon. The glacier collapse caused an earthquake measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale. Videos posted on social media and Swiss public broadcaster SRF show the glacier collapsing and masses of debris rolling towards the valley at breathtaking speed, accompanied by a huge cloud of dust. On Wednesday morning, the local government in Canton Valais had already declared the Lötschental to be in a “special situation”. The authorities said this measure would ensure they could “react as quickly as possible, if necessary mobilising several ...
