One person is missing after a deluge of rock, mud and ice buried 90% of a Swiss mountain village, officials have said.
It came after a glacier overlooking the settlement of Blatten, in southern Switzerland, partially collapsed on Wednesday, sending the debris raining down.
“An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley,” Matthias Ebener, a spokesman for local authorities in the Valais canton.
He also confirmed one person was missing.
Approximately 300 residents, as well as livestock, were evacuated from the area on 19 May after geologists warned that a 1.5 million cubic meter (52 million cubic feet) glacier overlooking the village was at risk of imminent collapse.
Local councillor Stephane Ganzer told Swiss media that the mud and rockslide “at first glance covered 90% of the village”.
Footage shared on social media showed the moment the debris came down, leaving behind destroyed buildings and other infrastructure in the village, which is nestled in the Loetschental valley.
Emergency services warned people that the area was hazardous and urged them to stay away.
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Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter expressed her solidarity with villagers.
‘It’s terrible to lose your home,” she said in a social media post. “In these hours, I feel for the residents of Blatten.”
