Swiss village must be completely evacuated due to imminent rockfall: Authorities

GENEVA

The mountain village of Brienz in the Swiss canton of Graubünden must be completely evacuated due to the threat of a rock slide, local authorities said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the authorities said that the evacuation must be done by Friday evening as a rock volume of up to 2 million cubic meters (7.1 million cubic feet) is moving so strongly that it is expected to break off in the next one to three weeks.

The rock mass may break off partially or completely, they said, adding that the most likely scenario is numerous rockfalls.

A large, fast and far-reaching landslide is much less likely, according to the municipality. However, it cannot be ruled out either.

The village is located on the "Rutsch", an old landslide area that has not calmed down to this day. Measurements showed in 2019 that the village slides one meter per year.

From Saturday, residents of the 110-inhabitant village will be allowed temporary entry again during the day, as long as the danger situation permits.

All access roads to Brienz are now open only to residents and property owners.

On Tuesday evening, the population will be informed in a public information meeting about the details of the evacuation and assistance provided by the municipality.