No further danger from rock masses after landslide in the Engadin
Published: Tuesday, Jun 18th 2024, 17:50
Back to Live Feed
Following the major landslide in the Bernina Group in the Engadin in mid-April, there is no danger of secondary falls or debris flows - neither in the affected Val Roseg nor below it in Pontresina. This is the result of a recent geological survey.
As the municipality of Samedan announced on Tuesday, it commissioned the expert reports following the landslide on Piz Scerscen in collaboration with the Cantonal Office for Forests and Natural Hazards. According to the municipality, the expert reports concluded that no major landslides are to be expected that could reach hiking trails, the Tschierva hut, the alluvial plain or the Roseg hotel and restaurant.
Furthermore, the landslide deposits are currently a frozen mixture of ice and rock and are in a stable condition. A debris flow like the one that occurred in 2011 in Val Bondasca after the Bondo landslide can be ruled out "as long as there is no significant thawing".
Danger of tidal waves
However, according to the municipality, there is a risk of flood waves in the alluvial plain of Val Roseg if superficial water accumulations or bodies of water inside the deposits suddenly empty. The municipality therefore recommends avoiding the alluvial plain. It strongly advises against entering the alluvial deposits. The hiking trail in the valley to Lej da Vadret remains closed.
During the landslide on 14 April, several million cubic meters of rock and ice fell into the uninhabited Val Roseg at an altitude of 2050 metres. The fallen rock mass was spread over a length of more than five kilometers.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic