Landslides threaten: Swiss village evacuation underway

The danger of a landslide near the Swiss village of Brienz in Graubünden is growing. Evacuations are now underway.

In mid-April, residents of Brienz/Brinzauls in the canton of Graubünden were warned about a possible evacuation. Since then, the danger of a rockfall has increased massively, and they must now leave their homes.

The rocks above the village are moving so rapidly that it could soon cause a landslide and hit the village. The evacuation should be completed by Friday evening, 12th May.

For a long time now, the entire village in the Albula Valley has been sliding down the valley, by about one metre per year. In recent weeks, however, the movement of the rock masses above the village has accelerated sharply.

It is feared that around two million cubic metres of rock could break off in the next few weeks.

The most likely scenario at the moment is lots of small rockfalls, which may occur in the next few weeks. The worst case scenario however, is that the entire slope may slide at once and bury the village beneath.

With the evacuation now initiated, no one is allowed to stay overnight in the village from 12th May. During the day, however, it should be possible to stay temporarily. The access roads are now only open for residents.