Brienz: Residents forced to flee as Swiss village threatened by a mountainous rockslide
A small Swiss village that attracted global attention when it was evacuated because the mountain face above it threatened to collapse must be evacuated again, local officials say.
The municipality of Albula in eastern Switzerland, which includes the village, Brienz, cited the risk of a rockslide like the one that narrowly missed the village in June 2023 after the last evacuation.
“The municipality of Albula/Alvra’s leadership team ... is preparing a precautionary evacuation of Brienz/Brinzauls,” it said on social media platform X, using names in German and Romansch, a language spoken locally.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The authorities ordered its 84 residents to abandon the village on May 12, 2023, over fears that it could be buried under falling rocks.
When a rockslide narrowly missed it a month later, only some farmers had been allowed to return temporarily to tend to nearby fields.
