Evacuees from canton Glarus cannot return until the end of the year

Five people who refused to be evacuated last Saturday have since left the area. © Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

Around 30 people evacuated after the recent landslide in the town of Schwanden in canton Glarus will probably not be able to return to their homes until the end of the year.

It is not yet known exactly when they will be able to return, Chief of Staff Hanspeter Speich told SRF. “We are currently looking into emergency access to the two buildings,” Speich continued on Sunday. In the afternoon, the authorities would receive information on how long it would take to implement emergency access.

+ Several people resist evacuation from canton Glarus

Five people who refused to be evacuated last Saturday have since left the area, the statement continued. The situation is not easy for the evacuees, especially now over the holidays, Speich said. They are certainly tense, but they realise that they are being supported by the authorities.

+New analysis shows clear risk of deadly 2017 landslide

There is still a risk of 60,000 cubic metres of material sliding down – twice as much as had fallen at the end of August in the red zone next to the neighbourhood now affected, destroying a number of houses.

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