Swiss glacier collapse underscores urgency of efficient warning systems elsewhere, experts say

The small Swiss Alps village of Blatten was largely destroyed when the Birch glacier collapsed and sent a mass of rock, ice and scree hurtling down into the valley it was located. Although one person remains missing, authorities managed to avoid catastrophe by evacuating Blatten’s 300 residents pre-emptively. Experts warn that the monitoring systems in poorer glacier-rich nations, especially in Asia, are not nearly as efficient.