Evacuation of rockslide-imperilled Swiss village in full swing
On Friday, several trucks were deployed in the Graubünden mountain village of Brienz to evacuate the village. Almost all of the approximately 80 inhabitants of the village are being accommodated in the surrounding area, according to the community spokesperson.
The people affected by the evacuation of the village of Brienz had largely found a solution themselves, explained Christian Gartmann, spokesman for the municipality of Albula. Those who contacted the municipality were given help in finding accommodation.
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The deadline for evacuating the village expires at 1 p.m. on Sunday. An inspection visit will then take place to ensure that no one is still in the danger zone, Gartmann added. The mountain village must be evacuated for safety reasons and access may be prohibited for several months.
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Geologist explains why Swiss mountain village faces another huge landslide
Using helicopter flights, specialists installed further measuring instruments in the debris cone on the slope above the village on Friday. This means that the mountain and the sliding speed of the rock masses can continue to be monitored very precisely.
Second evacuation in a year and a half
The village of Brienz is threatened by a rock avalanche. Around 1.2 million cubic meters of debris are moving down the valley and threaten to bury the mountain village.
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This is the second evacuation in a year and a half for the inhabitants. They already had to leave their homes in May 2023. Back then, a rockslide threatened to sweep the entire village away. On the night of June 16, 2023, huge volumes of rock finally shot down the slope and came to a halt just a few meters from the village.
Adapted from German by DeepL/ac
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