The Swiss authorities report that the most serious threat of a tidal wave is over after a glacier broke off in the Lötschental. There were fears that villages would flood because a reservoir had been created by the debris.
No new evacuations are planned, the authorities announced at a press conference on Friday. “At the moment we do not expect anything more serious and we can stick to the current measures,” said Christian Studer of the Natural Disasters Department of the canton of Wallis.
The authorities are positive because the suddenly created reservoir is now running away in a controlled manner. The avalanche of ice, mud and stones on Wednesday blocked the river Lonza, after which a reservoir was created.
However, the danger has not yet completely disappeared, Studer warned. The mountain wall remains unstable and the water level of the reservoir is still being closely monitored.
On Thursday there was still the fear that all the water in the reservoir could be released at once. That could flood villages in the area. In the night from Thursday to Friday, residents of two villages had to prepare for an evacuation.
On Wednesday, a large part of a glacier broke off in the Lötschental. The nearby village of Blatten, which had already been evacuated earlier this month, was largely buried.
1:50