Many residents in Switzerland packed their belongings into cars, trucks, and vans before an evacuation order took effect on Friday in a small village in eastern Switzerland. The reason is that this village is facing an urgent landslide threat.
Earlier, a team of geologists and experts conducted a survey and believe that the village of Brienz, which has existed for centuries, will soon be buried under layers of earth and rock. The small village currently has fewer than 100 residents but also attracts some tourists due to its beautiful scenery.
Swiss authorities report that approximately 2 million m3 of rock on a nearby Alpine slope could soon collapse in this area
Close-up of the landslide area.
Years of erosion have left the mountain slope bare, gray-white, with soil and rock exposed, and many boulders have already tumbled down into the still-green valley below.
Boulders poised to fall onto a wooden house in the village
Residents may have felt several warning signs, such as the ground shaking, the terrifying sound of rocks clashing, and trees and soil sliding down the mountain slope. The situation has become more urgent than ever, forcing the residents to evacuate.
6 PM on May 12 was the deadline for the emergency evacuation from the area
Authorities had previously raised the danger alert to “orange”.
This means residents had to leave at that time, but they could return to collect belongings if conditions allowed.
By the evening of May 12, the alert was raised to “red”
This means that authorities will not allow residents to return in the near future, said Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board in the town of Albula, of which the village of Brienz is part.
Officials stated that the mountain and debris on the slope have been shifting since the last Ice Age.
However, on May 9, they reported that measurements indicated “a significant acceleration over a large area” in recent days and “up to 2 million m3 of rock could collapse or slide within the next 7 to 24 days.”
One reason for the landslide is the melting glaciers, which have destabilized the rocky terrain.
