CRAZY PEOPLE.
The landslide was widely expected, so much so that an evacuation order had already been issued more than a month ago, and it finally arrived. On Friday, 16 June, a huge amount of material and debris (with the authorities not using the term landslide) broke away from the side of the mountain and headed towards the village of Brienz, in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland.
The debris fortunately missed the village, inhabited by about 70 people (who have long since been evacuated), but settled at least one metre high on the cantonal road near the former school building.
The municipal authorities fear, however, that the scare is not yet over. In fact, more material is expected to descend towards the same village in the next few hours. Brienz has long been considered at geological risk. The village itself is built on land that slopes down into the valley, causing the church tower to tilt and large cracks to appear in the buildings.
Hazardous material descent to Brienz village in Switzerland, triggers the 'blue phase' of the emergency: photos
The landslide was widely expected, so much so that an evacuation order had already been issued more than a month ago, and it finally arrived. On Friday, 16 June, a huge amount of material and debris (with the authorities not using the term landslide) broke away from the side of the mountain and headed towards the village of Brienz.
Hazardous material descent to Brienz village in Switzerland, triggers the 'blue phase' of the emergency: photos
The debris fortunately missed the village, which is inhabited by about 70 people (who have long since been evacuated), but settled at least one metre high on the cantonal road near the former school building.
Hazardous material descent to Brienz village in Switzerland, triggers the 'blue phase' of the emergency: photos
The municipal authorities fear, however, that the fear is not yet over. In fact, more material is expected to descend towards the same village in the coming hours. Geologists are currently assessing the impact the landslide will have on the population.
Hazardous material descent to Brienz village in Switzerland, triggers the 'blue phase' of the emergency: photos
Brienz in the eastern canton of Graubünden has long been considered a geological risk. The town itself is built on land that slopes down into the valley, causing the church tower to tilt and large cracks to appear in the buildings. The 'Tour de Suisse' was supposed to pass through the area on a road closed since the 'blue phase' was triggered.
Hazardous material descent to Brienz village in Switzerland, triggers the 'blue phase' of the emergency: photos
After this fall of materials, the authorities decided to activate the 'blue phase', the maximum emergency phase. Already the 'red phase', the previous one, provided for a delimited area 'off limits' for hikers and overflights were also excluded. Several traffic disruptions are expected, as many sections of the neighbouring mountain roads have been closed until further notice.