A massive glacier collapsed in the south of Switzerland, partially destroying the small village of Blatten, which had been evacuated recently due to the imminent danger.
Around 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT), a huge collapse occurred on the birch glacier, emergency services said in the Wallis region.
Many houses in Blaten, which normally house 300 people, have been destroyed, said Jonas Jeitziner, in the regional emergency management department, Keystone-ATS in Switzerland told the national press agency.
The collapse of the glaciers had been expected for several days.
Images Posted on YouTube shows a huge cloud of ice and rubble that rush on the mountain and in the valley where the village is located. Debris reached the houses.
Tuesday evening, there was a significant increase in the activity of the glacier, which intensified on Wednesday.
Glaciers have withdrawn in recent years in the Alps due to warming that most scientists attribute to the climate crisis.
The Swiss glaciers melted as much in 2022-2023 as in 1960-90, losing around 10% of their total volume.
Snow covering Swiss glaciers at the end of winter this year was 13% below the 2010-2010 average, according to an expert glacier.
