‘It could have been so much worse’: Mountain collapse narrowly misses Swiss Village

The last

After decades of threatening to tear off and tumble down the slope, destroying the houses below, the mountainside near the village of Brienz, in central Switzerland, finally collapsed. Geologists had predicted in May that the long-feared landslide was imminent and authorities evacuated the village’s approximately 85 residents. On Friday, the experts were right: part of the mountain gave way.

At least, partially right. Fortunately for the citizens of Brienz, the predicted destruction of their village was narrowly avoided. The roughly 50 million cubic feet of rock and debris that tore loose stopped just short of the village and came to rest within yards of the first building facing the slopes: the schoolhouse. The only building affected by the fall was a small barn a little further from the village.

“The best thing is – something we hadn’t really counted on – it came down without damaging the village,” said Christian Gartmann, a spokesman for the Albula district, which includes Brienz.

Residents of surrounding villages said they heard rolling stones and debris between 11 p.m. and midnight on Thursday, but the landslide could not be assessed until morning. There was evidence that the breaking was gaining momentum, with geologic probes set up to monitor the mountainside recording a significant increase in the volume of falling rocks.

Early estimates suggest that two-thirds to three-quarters of the portion of the mountain geologists said was at risk fell toward Brienz. Geologists were flown over the area on Friday to assess the situation. Further research will be done with drones and measuring equipment on the ground.

What’s next

Depending on what the geologists find, the outcome could be good news for the villagers. When evacuated, most would have feared that the mountainside collapse would destroy their homes.

If the experts decide the mountain no longer poses a threat to residents, they will be allowed to move back in, Mr. Gartmann, noting that the “chances of that happening again are very high”.

An evacuated Brienz resident, Renato Liesch, went to the area to see for himself the damage the landslide had caused. “When you see how much it’s made it down the hill, it’s just gigantic,” he said in a phone interview.

Mr Liesch said he was relieved that the collapse had finally happened, but expressed concern that parts of the mountain left behind could still dislodge.

“At this point I’m not sure if we can go back before next spring,” he said. Nevertheless, he acknowledged, “It could have been so much worse.”