Desperate search for missing man after Swiss glacier destruction

A rescue mission resumed on June 2nd 2025 to find a missing 64‑year‑old man in Blatten after a mass of glacial debris buried the village in southern Switzerland last week. The emergency services are specifically searching the secured area as long as weather conditions and safety permit, according to Daniel Imboden, spokesperson of the Valais Canton Police. A deluge of millions of cubic feet of ice, mud and rock crashed down the mountain on Wednesday (May 28), engulfing the village. The few houses that remained intact were later flooded by a lake that formed behind. Rescue teams with search dogs and thermal drone scans looked for the missing man but suspended the search on Thursday afternoon, citing unstable debris mounds and the risk of further rockfalls. The local police said on Monday they had been able to demarcate and secure an area after analysis, allowing the search to continue.