Disaster hangs in the balance. 250,000 tons of ice are moving towards a Swiss village

Randa, a small Alpine commune with only 450 inhabitants, has been on high alert for weeks. It's all because of a huge block of ice that has been more and more active since August. The situation is constantly monitored by natural hazard specialists, and residents receive regular warnings.

Local authorities are already preparing for the worst-case scenario - closed zones have been designated, access to which is strictly prohibited. The highest, fourth alert level, meaning immediate evacuation, will be announced if a block of ice imminently breaks away.

According to Norbert Carlen, natural hazards engineer in the canton of Valais, the current situation is very dynamic. The ice block shows continuous dynamics and is currently moving down by up to 20 centimeters a day, Carlen explains in an interview with the Blick newspaper.

The upcoming snowfall is of particular concern. Over the next few weeks, more than a meter of fresh snow may accumulate on the flattened surface of the Bisgletscher glacier, located just below the block of ice. This creates an additional risk - if the ice mass breaks off, the snow will be carried down, creating an extremely dangerous snow and ice avalanche.

If the entire block breaks off, it will certainly take away the snow that lies on the plateau beneath it, explains Carlen.

Avalanche experts emphasize that the situation in Rand is "highly dynamic." The worst-case scenario assumes that the entire block of ice will break off just when the avalanche danger is greatest. Then the avalanche may not only drag down an even larger mass of snow, but also cause a chain reaction, leading to further avalanches in the valley.

The most extreme scenario would be if a block of ice slid and there was a high avalanche risk. If the snow cover is unstable, an ice avalanche may trigger additional snow avalanches, warns Stefan Margreth from the Snow and Avalanche Research Institute (SLF).

Fortunately, according to experts, the probability of the worst-case scenario occurring is not high. Extremely dangerous avalanche conditions occur only in less than 5 percent of cases. winter days. If a block of ice breaks off while the snow cover is stable, the risk of a chain reaction will be relatively small.

It is also possible that the icy mass will not break off completely, but in several smaller pieces, which would significantly reduce the potential consequences.

Nevertheless, the situation on the Weisshorn glacier is monitored very closely by services and experts.