Severe storms struck the small hamlet of Chéron in the French commune of Magland in the Haute-Savoie department during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. After heavy rainfall, a massive mudslide detached above the village, which rescue services described as a so-called “wild torrent avalanche.” The enormous masses of earth and debris uprooted everything in their path and eventually reached the village.
Two people were caught in the mud and found themselves in a dangerous situation. Fire department personnel were able to rescue both individuals from their predicament. They sustained only minor injuries and were taken to the hospital in Sallanches as a precaution. According to authorities, there was no threat to their lives.
The mudslide struck five of the eleven residential houses in the small hamlet. The extent of the damage is now occupying both emergency responders and experts alike. To ensure that no one was buried under the debris and mud, a large-scale search operation continued late into the night. Specialists in rescue missions within collapsed buildings collaborated closely with search dog teams, water rescuers, and drone pilots who surveyed the hard-to-reach terrain from the air. In the end, the relieving news was confirmed: there were no further victims.
Nevertheless, the situation remained tense. For safety reasons, 21 residents had to leave their homes. They were temporarily accommodated in a safe location. When they can return to their residences is currently uncertain. First, experts must assess whether further landslides are likely and how severely the damaged buildings have been affected.
According to initial findings from the fire department, the mudslide originated 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 several places, several meters thick layers of soil detached and, due to the enormous amounts of water, transformed into a raging stream of mud, debris, and wood.
The incident is part of a series of similar natural events that have affected several Alpine regions in recent weeks. Repeated thunderstorms and ongoing heavy rainfall have saturated soils in many areas completely with water. As a result, slopes are increasingly losing stability, so mudslides and landslides can occur even after relatively short but intense precipitation.
For the residents of Chéron, the night is likely to remain memorable for a long time. Within minutes, the familiar surroundings turned into a disaster zone. Now, attention turns to the cleanup efforts and the hope that the situation will stabilize quickly and that people can soon return to their homes.