One person missing after Swiss village burried beneath landslide.

One person has been reported missing following a landslide in the Swiss canton of Valais which has covered about 90% of the village of Blatten in the Lötschental Valley with rubble and debris on Wednesday 28 May 2025. The landslide occurred after a part of the Birch Glacier broke off, allowing rock held behind it to tumble onto the village. The village had been evacuated since 19 May, when geologists identified that part of the mountain behind the glacier had started to move, following a detected increase in movement from the glacier itself. The missing person has been identified as a man aged 64, but no further details have been given.

Debris covering the village of Blatten in the Lötschental Valley in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, following a landslide on 28 May 2025. Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone.

The village was evacuated on 19 May after geologists identified the potential for a major landslide hitting the village as a 'worst case scenario' following their assessment of movements on the Birch Glacier. However, despite this 'worst case scenario' having come true, there is now thought to be a significant risk of further problems, with the landslid having covered part of the Lonza River, causing the potential for water to build up behind the debris, which might in turn catastrophically fail, causing flood events further down the valley.

 All glaciers in Switzerland, and the wider Alps, are currently considered to be at risk due to rising global temperatures, with many recording increased flow rates similar to that seen on Birch Glacier. While it is not generally considered possible to say to what extent global warming has contributed to individual incidents, it is highly likely that Alpine regions will be subjected to more incidents of this kind in the future.

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Avalanches kills skiers in Swiss and Austrian Alps.

One skier has died and another was injured after they were caught in an avalanche near Bovernier in the Swiss canton of Valais on Sunday 24 March 2019. Two other skiers were also caught by the avalanche, which occurred at an altitude of about 2800 m above sealevel, but escaped unscathed. The skier who died is reported to have suffocated after being buried beneath a metre and a half of snow. The incident happened less than 24 hours after another avalanche near Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria, which claimed the life of another skier, with a second victim airlifted to hospital with unspecified injuries. None of those involved in either incident have been namd yet.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises. Because snow forms layers, with each layer typically occurring due to a different snowfall, and having different physical properties, multiple avalanches can occur at the same spot, with the failure of a weaker layer losing to the loss of the snow above it, but other layers below left in place - to potentially fail later.

Diagrammatic representation of an avalanche, showing how layering of snow contributes to these events. Expedition Earth.

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Spanish skiers killed by Avalanche in Switzerland.

Three Spanish skiers have died and two more have been admitted to hospital with injuries following an Avalanche in the Swiss canton of Valais on Saturday 31 March 2018. The party were apparently trying to cross the Aletsch Glacier near Fiesch when they were hit by the event. Rescue efforts were hampered by snow and poor visibility on the day of the event, with the bodies not being discovered until the following morning.

The Aletsch Glacier in Canton Valais, Switzerland, the largest glacier in the Alps. Google Maps.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises. Because snow forms layers, with each layer typically occurring due to a different snowfall, and having different physical properties, multiple avalanches can occur at the same spot, with the failure of a weaker layer losing to the loss of the snow above it, but other layers below left in place - to potentially fail later.

 Diagrammatic representation of an avalanche, showing how layering of snow contributes to these events. Expedition Earth.

The Alps have seen a number of avalanche related incidents this winter, largely due to high levels of snowfall. This is, in turn caused by warmer conditions over the Atlantic, which leads to higher rates of evaporation over the ocean, and therefore higher rates of precipitation over Europe, which falls as snow in cooler regions such as the Alps, where the moist air meets cold air fromt the east.  

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Avalanche feared to have killed four skiers in Swiss Alps.

The bodies of two skiers have been recovered from under about six meters of snow, and a further two are missing, following an avalanche in the Vallon d'Arbi area near Riddes in the District of Martigny of Canton Valais in Switzerland on Friday 16 March 2018. All four skiers are said to be aged between 20 and 25 and from the Alsace Region of France.

The scene of an avalanche in Vallon d'Arbi on 16 March 2018. Valais Canton Police.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises. Because snow forms layers, with each layer typically occurring due to a different snowfall, and having different physical properties, multiple avalanches can occur at the same spot, with the failure of a weaker layer losing to the loss of the snow above it, but other layers below left in place - to potentially fail later.

 Diagrammatic representation of an avalanche, showing how layering of snow contributes to these events. Expedition Earth.

The Alps have seen a number of avalanche related incidents this winter, largely due to high levels of snowfall. This is, in turn caused by warmer conditions over the Atlantic, which leads to higher rates of evaporation over the ocean, and therefore higher rates of precipitation over Europe, which falls as snow in cooler regions such as the Alps, where the moist air meets cold air fromt the east. This situation is likely to get worst this week after a significant cold front from the east brought plunging temperatures across Europe this week, which is expected to be replaced by a new wet front from the west over the weekend, depositing precipitation as more snow across the now cooler continent. 

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Father and daughter killed by avalanche in French Alps.

Two skiers have died in an avalanche while skiing on the Pisaillas Glacier near Val d'Isère in the Savoie department in the Savoie Department of southeastern France on Sunday 19 February 2018. The as yet un-named pair have been identified as a father and daughter from the Paris area aged 43 and 11. It is not clear why they were on the glacier at the time of the avalanche, as it had apparently been closed to skiers following recent heavy snowfall. 

Pisailles Glacier, near Val d'Isère, is popular with skiers and provides year-round skiing due to its high altitude, but is considered dangerous after heavy winter snowfalls, due to the high risk of avalanches. Benoit Launay/Le Dauphine.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises. Because snow forms layers, with each layer typically occurring due to a different snowfall, and having different physical properties, multiple avalanches can occur at the same spot, with the failure of a weaker layer losing to the loss of the snow above it, but other layers below left in place - to potentially fail later.

 Diagrammatic representation of an avalanche, showing how layering of snow contributes to these events. Expedition Earth.

The Alps have seen a number of avalanche related incidents this winter, largely due to high levels of snowfall. This is, in turn caused by warmer conditions over the Atlantic, which leads to higher rates of evaporation over the ocean, and therefore higher rates of precipitation over Europe, which falls as snow in cooler regions such as the Alps.

In a separate incident two hikers were injured in an avalanche near Col de Fenestral in the Valais Canton, also on Sunday 18 February, and are being treated in a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Avalanches kill three in Switzerland over the Christmas Period.

Three people have been killed and several more have been injured after being caught in avalanches in the Swiss Alps over the Christmas period this year. On Saturday 23 December three climbers were caught in an event while climbing in the Canton of Valais (or Wallis) in the southwestern part of the country; two of these climbers escaped with minor injuries, but the third, an as yet un-named 29-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries and died the following day. On Sunday 24 December a 31-year-old Frenchman was killed while attempting a solo ascent of Mount Glattwang in the Canton of Grisons (or Graubünden) in the eastern part of the country. Finally, on Monday 25 December, a party of five Swiss skiers were hit by an avalanche close to the peak of Mount Hofathorn, again in Valais Canton, with one 39-year-old man being swept to his death.

Mount Glattwang in the Canton of Grisons, where a French climber died on 24 December 2017. Glecksteinhütte.

Avalanches are caused by the mechanical failure of snowpacks; essentially when the weight of the snow above a certain point exceeds the carrying capacity of the snow at that point to support its weight. This can happen for two reasons, because more snow falls upslope, causing the weight to rise, or because snow begins to melt downslope, causing the carrying capacity to fall. Avalanches may also be triggered by other events, such as Earthquakes or rockfalls. Contrary to what is often seen in films and on television, avalanches are not usually triggered by loud noises.

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