On Cam: Swiss Village Nearly Wiped Out After Glacier Collapse Causes Landslide

A catastrophic landslide triggered by the partial collapse of the Birch Glacier buried approximately 90% of Blatten, a small Alpine village in Switzerland's Valais Canton, BBC reported. Dramatic footage from May 28 shows massive dust clouds filling the valley as the glacier collapsed, with a torrent of mud and boulders engulfing the hillsides and much of the village, which had a population of around 300. Authorities had been warning of a potential collapse for weeks due to visible cracks in the ice, and earlier this month, the village of around 300 residents and livestock was evacuated. One person, a 64-year-old man, remains missing, and officials have reported no deaths so far. The Cantonal Police of Valais said that a search and rescue operation was underway for the missing man. The landslide also buried the Lonza River bed, raising concerns about potential flooding from dammed water flows.