Blatten: First clash, then a glacier cancellation, now tidal wave?
In the Swiss Lötschental, there is now a tidal wave after the gigantic gap. The Lonza river is through the meter-high rock and ice masses, which plunged down the valley on Wednesday, as if dammed by a meter-high dam. The authorities report that the few houses that were not buried in the village of Blatten are already flooded.
Glacier root: Most of the leaves destroyed – a person missing
The geologist Flavio Anselmetti from the University of Bern describes the chain reaction, which in the worst case now threatens. The rock and ice masses would have piled up into a very high dam, and behind it the Lonza traffic jams. « The worst would be that water builds up to the crown of the mountain climber dam, » Anselmetti told the Swiss radio station SRF. The river could then cut into the rock ice mixture.
Residents have already been brought to safety
« What could threaten would be that the dam is unstable through this cutting, that parts of this dam are being torn away, that it collapses and then very strong tidal waves or mage length could threaten the churches that lie in the lower valley. »
As a precaution, the authorities have already brought residents of the municipalities of Wiler and Tipple to safety. There are 16 people. The rock and ice mixture is meter high over a length of two kilometers and a width of 200 meters.
The village of Blatten had been cleared in view of the impending breakdown of the rock last week. A 64 -year -old man who was still in the area is still missing. The abortion has exceeded the worst expectations of the authorities.
