Hundreds evacuated as landslide threatens Alpine village

Swiss authorities have expanded the evacuation order for the Alpine village of Blatten, amid growing fears of a major landslide.

More than 90 residents were initially evacuated on Saturday night, but officials in the southern Valais canton extended the order on Monday to encompass almost the entire village of 300, barring residents from all but two areas.

The evacuation comes in response to an escalating risk of rockfalls and landslides, leaving residents uncertain about when they can return home.

The mountain above the village remains unstable, with movements and ongoing small rockfalls being continuously recorded. Local official Matthias Ebener described the situation as "very acute”.

In 2023, residents of the village of Brienz in eastern Switzerland were evacuated before a huge mass of rock slid down a mountainside, stopping just short of the settlement.

Brienz was evacuated again last year because of the threat of a further rockslide.