In Geneva, A 64-year-old man was still missing Thursday after a massive amount of rock and ice from a glacier tumbled down a Swiss slope the day before.
The avalanche emitted dust plumes and mud-coated practically the whole Alpine hamlet, which authorities had evacuated earlier this month as a precaution. State Councilor Stéphane Ganzer informed Radio Télévision Suisse that 90% of the village was destroyed.
The Cantonal Police of Valais stated a search and rescue operation was underway for the guy, whose identity was not released, and that it involved a drone equipped with a thermal camera.
According to the regional authorities, a significant section of the Birch Glacier above the village broke off, producing the avalanche and burying the adjoining Lonza River bed, boosting the likelihood of blocked water flows.
A mudslide near Blatten in the southern Lötschental valley partially drowned homes and other buildings in a mound of brownish sludge, according to video on social media and Swiss television.
In recent days, authorities ordered the evacuation of some 300 people and all animals from the community due to fears that the 1.5 million-cubic meter (52 million-cubic foot) glacier would collapse.
Swiss glaciologists have repeatedly highlighted concerns about a recent thaw, which has hastened the melting of glaciers in Switzerland and is largely due to global warming.
The landlocked Alpine country has the most glaciers in Europe, with 4% of the overall glacier volume disappearing by 2023. This was the second-largest loss in a single year, following a 6% drop in 2022.
