Swiss authorities evacuated the town of Blatten days before the Birch glacier collapsed, but the resources that allowed them to do that are not available to most countries.

The Birch Glacier above the village of Blatten collapsed and caused a landslide that has buried most of the village. Authorities had evacuated residents earlier this month, but one person is missing.

A picturesque Swiss village has been nearly entirely destroyed by a collapsing glacier, leaving one person missing amid a deluge of ice, mud and rock.Dramatic before-and-after images show the sheer scale of devastation in the picturesque Alpine village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps,