Residents of Blatten in Switzerland’s Loetschen Valley are rebuilding their lives one year after a glacier collapse buried much of the Alpine village.
The Birch glacier collapsed on May 28, 2025, after rockfall destabilised the mountainside. Authorities had evacuated more than 300 residents before rock, soil and ice swept through the village.
Former residents have since opened temporary businesses near the neighbouring town of Wiler. Hotel Momentum, built in 105 days, now overlooks the debris-covered site where Blatten once stood.
Hotel owner Lukas Kalbermatten told Reuters the anniversary felt like completing “one round” of grief after losing his family’s Hotel Edelweiss and home in the disaster.
Swiss officials plan to rebuild Blatten by around 2030. A road reconstruction project started last month, while some residents whose homes survived could return later this year.
Read: Doomsday Glacier Fracturing From Within, Raising Fresh Sea Level Concerns
Climate experts linked the collapse to thawing permafrost in the Alps. Swiss glacier monitoring officials said nearby peaks and glaciers are now under closer observation following the disaster.
