The Swiss glacier collapse is not an isolated event Just last week, Blatten was buried under a massive avalanche of rock and ice from the Birch Glacier and the nearby Lonza River bed.

Switzerland, which has the most glaciers of any country in Europe, saw 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year after a 6% drop in 2022.

The aftermath of the Birch Glacier collapse is visible in Blatten, Switzerland, June 11, 2025. Credit: AP ...

The Birch glacier was below the 3,342-metre (10,965-foot) high Kleines Nesthorn peak. In the fortnight before the glacier's collapse, a series of falls from the mountain dumped three million cubic ...

The dramatic collapse of Switzerland's Birch glacier, which wiped out a village, is an unprecedented disaster likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the Swiss Insurance Association said ...

The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts say.