Phase red now applies Brienz is completely evacuated - access ban effective immediately
The 80 or so villagers will probably have to leave the village for months.
Image: Gian Ehrenzeller/KEYSTONE/dpa
The inhabitants of Brienz have had to leave their homes for the second time in a year and a half.
Image: sda
The 500-year-old altar was taken from the church in Brienz to safety.
Image: dpa
No more access: all residents had to leave the village of Brienz.
Image: dpa
The 80 or so villagers will probably have to leave the village for months.
Image: Gian Ehrenzeller/KEYSTONE/dpa
The inhabitants of Brienz have had to leave their homes for the second time in a year and a half.
Image: sda
The 500-year-old altar was taken from the church in Brienz to safety.
Image: dpa
No more access: all residents had to leave the village of Brienz.
Image: dpa
The deadline for the evacuation of the entire village of Brienz GR ended at 1 pm on Sunday. Phase red now applies. This means that access is prohibited until further notice.
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- In Brienz GR, the deadline for the evacuation of the entire village ended at 1 pm on Sunday.
- Phase red now applies.
- This means that access to the village threatened by a rock avalanche is prohibited. This situation could last until spring.
The approximately 80 inhabitants of Brienz have had to leave their homes for the second time in a year and a half. The people all left on their own, no one had to be evacuated in the strict sense, explained Christian Gartmann, spokesman for the municipality of Albula, to the Keystone-SDA news agency. Eerie silence now reigns in the mountain village
The final inspection is currently taking place, explained Christian Gartmann, spokesman for the municipality of Albula, to the Keystone-SDA news agency after midday. Once this has been completed, the municipality will officially announce that the evacuation has been completed.
Access roads will be blocked
Representatives from the fire department, police, municipal authorities and the cantonal military and civil defense office are taking part in the inspection tour. They must ensure that all of the approximately 80 inhabitants of Brienz GR have left the village and that no one is left in the danger zone.
The two access roads to the village are blocked. It may not be possible to return to the village until spring 2025, provided that the 1.2 million cubic meters of rock have already thundered down into the valley by then.
The ban on access also applies to the fire department
Not only people, but also animals are being relocated: Some of the livestock has been taken to the Plantahof farm in Lanquart, while other animals are being entrusted to various farms.
The 500-year-old late Gothic altar has also been removed from the church of St. Calixtus for a second time. The Brienz local archives were also removed.
The ban on entering the danger zone around Brienz also applies to the fire department. If there is a fire in Brienz, they will only be deployed if the early warning systems and incident command determine that an operation is justifiable.
"If we cannot rule out a danger to our people from the mountain, we do not move into the danger zone," explained a fire department inspector in a bulletin from the municipality of Albula. This decision was based on the priorities for fire department operations in Switzerland: People come first, then animals, the environment and only in fourth place property.
SDA
