Brienz may be buried under earth and rocks falling down the slope. Geologists consider between 6 and 8% of the Swiss territory unstable. The country monitors these areas and organizes evacuations in time to avoid tragedies. Switzerland evacuated this Friday (12/05) the village of Brienz, in the southeast of the Swiss Alps, due to the risk of landslides and rocks burying the region . Just over 80 inhabitants of the region were forced to leave their homes. The Civil Protection carried out an inspection to ensure compliance with the provision.
According to geologists, Brienz can be affected by a landslide in between four and 14 days. The village is located at the foot of a slope devoid of vegetation, where in recent days the rocks have begun to collapse. The unstable situation has led the authorities to order the evacuation of the village and a radius of 3.5 kilometers in the region.
Authorities say 2 million cubic meters of rock, the equivalent of about 800 Olympic-size swimming pools, could soon break free and destroy homes in the area. The north and west of the village are most at risk.
The possibility of Brienz’s disappearance, although some experts do not believe this could actually happen, has attracted the attention of the Swiss press. “We don’t know if our Brienz will still exist in two weeks,” Anna Bergamin, a resident of the village, told the Swiss news agency ATS.
“It’s a big challenge for us. It’s a very short time, but it’s doable,” said Hannecke Bonifaci, another resident. The evacuation order went into effect earlier this week and residents had until Friday night to leave their homes.
not so rare phenomenon
It’s not the first time that a landslide and rocks threaten a village in the Swiss Alps. In 2017, a disaster of this type forced the evacuation of 200 inhabitants of the village of Bondo, in the same region. At the time, 3 million cubic meters fell from the slope causing more than 40 million euros in damage to the village.
The worst such catastrophe in the country occurred in 1806, when a landslide of 40 million cubic meters of earth buried 457 people and hundreds of cattle.
Geologists consider between 6 and 8% of the Swiss territory unstable. However, the country monitors areas at risk and organizes evacuations in time to avoid tragedies.
According to Swiss officials, climate change is increasing the risk of natural disasters in the country, including more erosion due to rising temperatures.
cn (efe, Reuters, AFP)
Source: Terra
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