The village of Blatten is gone and the locals are in shock as their lives – and livelihoods – have been destroyed.
The worst-case scenario happened on Wednesday afternoon – millions of tonnes of debris crashed down the mountain, burying most of the village under 10 million cubic meters of rock - stretching 2 km and 35 meters high. It’s estimated it’ll take 100,000 truck loads to clear.
Even the debris field remains unstable at the moment and it’s not safe to approach.
The president, Karin Keller-Sutter visited last week and assured the residents the whole country was with them and there would be help from the federal government.
A working group is being set up to examine how and where the village should be rebuilt.
But that decision probably won’t be taken any time soon. Geologists say the mountain remains very unstable and rocks are still coming down.
Blatten cleanup operation waiting for go ahead
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