[UPDATED Friday, June 27, at 6:07 pm European Central Time]
Human remains were discovered Friday in the debris field above the village of Blatten, more than three weeks after a devastating glacier collapse buried large parts of the valley in rock, ice and mud. According to a press release from the Valais Cantonal Police, the remains were recovered during a coordinated search operation in the Tennmatten area. The discovery occurred within a defined section of the debris cone, under the direction of the canton’s emergency management authority. Police confirmed the following Friday, June 27, that the remains belonged to a missing 64-year-old shepherd who disappeared during the May 28 disaster. A report confirms that man—who’s name was not shared by local police—went back for his sheep at the time of the glacial collapse and was killed by the debris.
Search efforts have been ongoing since the day of the collapse, but the unstable terrain and risk of further slides required operations to proceed cautiously. Emergency crews have relied on heavy equipment, drones, and specialized alpine search teams to comb the area as weather and safety conditions allow. The May 28 event destroyed an estimated 90% of the alpine village of Blatten, forcing the preemptive evacuation of around 300 residents days earlier. The glacier collapse, triggered by pressure from adjacent rockfalls on the Kleiner Nesthorn, also blocked the Lonza River, causing flooding in homes that initially escaped the mudslide.
Valais authorities continue to monitor the region closely, with support from civil protection units and military forces. The terrain remains unstable, and large parts of the debris field remain off limits to the public. As the recovery process unfolds, the community of Blatten remains in mourning of a town that has lost much of its historic heart and the life of one of its inhabitants.
