Devastating Glacier Collapse Rocks Swiss Village

A massive chunk of glacier in the Swiss Alps broke away on Wednesday, sending ice, mud, and rock crashing into a mountain village that had been evacuated due to previous rockslide risks, official sources revealed.

"An unbelievable amount of material thundered down into the valley," commented Matthias Ebener, the local authorities' spokesperson, highlighting the lack of human casualties. Blatten, with approximately 300 residents, experienced severe destruction as the rockslide hit, following an evacuation order issued on May 19 due to avalanche and rockslide warnings identified by geologists.

According to Swiss national broadcaster SRF, the rockslide destroyed several homes and buried a significant portion of the village nestled in the Loetschental valley of southern Switzerland. Authorities have been closely monitoring the slopes since the evacuation order was issued. Footage spreading on social media captured the dramatic partial collapse of the glacier, showcasing the enormous cloud formed as rock and debris descended into the outskirts of Blatten.

(With inputs from agencies.)