A Swiss village has been partially destroyed after a huge chunk of glacier crashed down into the valley.
The village of Blatten had been evacuated some days before due to fears of the Birch glacier disintegrating, however, one person has been reported missing, and many homes were completely flattened.
Local authorities have requested support from the Swiss army’s disaster relief unit. Members of the Swiss government are also on their way to the scene and have promised funding to make sure residents can stay either in the village or nearby.
The 300 inhabitants of the village initially had to evacuate on 19 May after geologists monitoring the area warned that the glacier was unstable.
Many of the residents may never be able to return.
"We have lost our village, but not our heart. We will support each other and console each other. After a long night, it will be morning again,” the village's mayor, Matthias Bellwald, said.
Natural Hazards head of regional office, Raphaël Mayoraz said further evacuations of areas close to Blatten may be necessary as climate change intensifies.
The most recent report on the condition of Switzerland’s glaciers suggested they could be gone within a century if global temperature could not be kept within a rise of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
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