The Swiss village of Brienz/Brinzauls is preparing for another evacuation. It is again threatened by a rockfall that may fall off the mountain slope. A similar incident took place last year – when all residents had to leave the town.
The small Swiss village of Brienz/Brinzauls attracted worldwide attention last year after it was evacuated. The reason was a mountain wall that threatened to collapse and, consequently, cover the village with rubble. On Saturday, November 9, local authorities announced that the town would have to be evacuated again.
The exact moment when residents will have to leave the village has not yet been announced. More details are expected to be revealed at a press conference on Saturday evening.
Another evacuation
The municipality of Albula/Alvra in eastern Switzerland, which includes the village of Brienz/Brinzauls, cited the risk of rockslides – like the one that narrowly missed the village last June after the latest evacuation.
– The municipality is preparing a preventive evacuation of Brienz/Brinzauls – it was reported on the social networking site X, using the names of the towns in German and Romance, the language used locally.
It added that up to 1.2 million cubic meters of rock could move towards the village.
According to Swiss media, measurements carried out by early warning services have shown that since the second half of September, the upper part of the debris has been moving at a rate sometimes exceeding 30 centimeters a day. The situation may calm down, but rockslides cannot be ruled out, the authorities said.
Authorities ordered 84 residents to leave the village on May 12, 2023. for fear that it might be covered by falling rocks. When a landslide narrowly missed the town a month later, only some farmers were allowed to temporarily return to nearby fields.
Reuters, swissinfo.ch, 20min.ch
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/GIAN EHRENZELLER