GIETRO 1818

 

Event description

 

An advance of Gietroz Glacier increased the ice fall acitivity. These ice avalanches built an ice dam which blocked the main valley and dammed the Dranse river. On June 16, 1818, the ice dam failed and 20 Mio m3 water was released with a peak discharge of 8`000 m3/s. Many bridges and houses were destroyed. 44 people and a lot of animals were killed. The damage occured reached 1 Mio SFR.

 

Damage

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Many bridges and houses were destroyed. 44 people and a lot of animals were killed.

 

Data source

 

- www.glacierhazards.ch

- http://glaciology.ethz.ch/glacier-hazards/download/gietro.pdf

 

Remarks