Severe storms severely affected the small hamlet of Chéron in the French municipality of Magland, in the Haute-Savoie department, during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. After heavy rains, a huge mudslide detached above the area, described by rescue teams as a so-called “torrent avalanches.” The enormous masses of earth and debris swept away everything in their path and eventually reached the village.
Two people were trapped in the masses of mud in a dangerous situation. Firefighting teams were able to free both from their predicament. They only suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital in Sallanches as a precaution. According to authorities, there was no danger to their lives.
The landslide struck five of the eleven houses in the small hamlet. The extent of the damage concerns both emergency teams and experts alike. To ensure that no one had been buried under the mud and debris, an extensive search operation was carried out until late at night. Specialists in collapsed structure rescues worked hand in hand with canine squads, water rescuers, and drone pilots who inspected the difficult-to-access terrain from the air. In the end, the hopeful news came: there were no further victims.
Despite this, the situation remained tense. For safety reasons, 21 residents had to leave their homes. They were temporarily accommodated in a safe place. It is not yet determined when they will be able to return to their homes. First, experts must assess whether there are risks of new landslides and the actual severity of the damage to the affected buildings.
According to initial investigations by the firefighters, the origin of the landslide was located about 1.9 kilometers above the hamlet. There, on an area of approximately 2,500 square meters, large masses of earth began to slide. In some places, layers of soil several meters thick detached and, due to the enormous amounts of water, turned into a furious torrent of mud, debris, and wood.
This incident adds to a series of similar natural events that have affected various regions of the Alps in recent weeks. Repeated storms and intense, sustained rainfall have completely saturated the soils in many places. As a result, the slopes are becoming increasingly unstable, causing mudflows and landslides to form even after brief but intense precipitation.
For the inhabitants of Chéron, the night will be remembered for a long time. In a matter of minutes, the familiar environment was transformed into a disaster zone. Now, the focus is on the cleanup efforts and the hope that the situation stabilizes soon so that people can return to their homes.