Glacier collapse Switzerland: Desperate search for missing man, 64, after village in European hotspot destroyed by rocks

The Alpine village of Blatten, in the southern Lötschental valley, Switzerland, was flattened by a combination of rock and ice that hurtled down a nearby mountainside on Wednesday. Footage posted on social media and Swiss TV captured the moment the mass of debris submerged homes and buildings and sent massive plumes of dust into the sky.

The risk to locals was mitigated after officials decided to evacuate hundreds of people and livestock, but emergency responders have said a man is missing in the wake of the disaster and have launched desperate efforts to track him down. Regional police have said a 64-year-old man was reported missing following the avalanche, and have launched a search using advanced technology in a bid to locate him.

A local police spokesperson said in a statement: "Despite significant efforts, the man has still not been found." Officials have been mourning the town in the wake of the disaster, with up to 90 per cent of the community covered.

In a statement to local TV channel Canal9, Stephane Ganzer, the head of security in the southern Valais region, said the collapse was a "major catastrophe". He said: "It's a major catastrophe that has happened here in Blatten. There's a risk that the situation could get worse."