- The Swiss village of Kandersteg faces a potential landslide as the unstable Spitze Stei mountain rock formation threatens to collapse into the valley.
- Thawing permafrost and melting glaciers caused by climate change are destabilising mountain slopes across the Swiss Alps.
- Should the unstable section of the mountain rock, which is estimated at roughly 15-20 million cubic meters, collapse it would trigger a natural disaster, however it is under constant monitoring and experts say it is more likely to break down gradually.
- Despite memories of the disaster that destroyed nearby Blatten last year, residents say their situation is different and that preparations made already allow them to live calmly.
- Nathan Solothurnmann, a climate and energy expert for Greenpeace Switzerland, said: “Maybe even one day we will have to abandon certain valleys or certain villages because it’s becoming impossible to live there.”
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