Village partially destroyed in Swiss glacier collapse / Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI - AFP/File
-
Marseille hoping to catch PSG at the right time in Ligue 1
-
Japan inflation slows in August, rice price surges ease
-
Court seizes assets of Maradona's lawyer, sisters in fraud case
-
RFK Jr panelists make initial changes to childhood vaccine schedule
-
RFK Jr panelists make first changes to childhood vaccine advice
-
Progress stalled on Canada's pollution reduction goal
-
UN Security Council votes on reimposing Iran nuclear sanctions
-
Depleted France eager to 'throw sand in England's machine' in World Cup semi-final
-
Barcelona beat Newcastle, Man City see off Napoli in Champions League
-
Texans' Ward won't face domestic violence charges
-
Alcaraz headlines Team Europe in Laver Cup title defense
-
Rashford bags first Barca goals to seal win at Newcastle
-
Haaland hits 50 Champions League goals in Man City cruise over 10-man Napoli
-
Dodgers pitching icon Kershaw to retire - club
-
Eagles seek answers against Rams in battle of NFL unbeatens
-
Afghanistan crash out of Asia Cup after six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka
-
EU states agree broad UN emissions target avoiding 'embarrassment'
-
US regulator sues Ticketmaster over 'illegal' ticket schemes
-
US small businesses slam Trump tariffs as legal fight proceeds
-
All smiles as Melania and Kate meet kids in first public event
-
EU states agree 'face-saving' broad UN emissions-cutting target
-
Madonna to release new album next year
-
Colombian court issues first sentences for ex-soldiers over civilian killings
-
Chip-maker Nvidia takes stake in rival Intel
-
Putin has let me down, says Trump at end of UK state visit
-
Melania's hat, Epstein's ghost: takeaways from Trump's UK visit
-
UN Security Council to vote on Iran nuclear sanctions Friday
-
AI-backed robot painting aims to boost artist income
-
Israel bombards Gaza City, army says four soldiers killed
-
Former Barca presidents deny corruption at ref scandal court appearance
-
Canada, Mexico leaders meet amid US tariff war
-
Mass rallies, disruptions in France on day of anger against Macron
-
Piastri says team orders clarified at McLaren
-
'Box office' McLaughlin-Levrone -- rarely seen but worth the wait
-
Stocks rise on Nvidia-Intel deal, Fed rate cut
-
US medical panel insists it's 'pro-vaccine'
-
Trump says Putin has 'let me down' as UK state visit ends
-
IMF proposes US Treasury official as second-in-command
-
McLaughlin-Levrone mulls Olympic 400m double after silencing doubters
-
McLaughlin-Levrone steals the show at worlds, Botswana take men's one-lap gold
-
Clashes, disruption in France on day of anger against Macron
-
Mitchell defends England's 'route-one' tactics at Rugby World Cup
-
Antonelli vows to bounce back from Wolff criticism
-
Mourinho appointed at Benfica as he returns to Portugal
-
McLaughlin-Levrone powers to 400m world gold in second fastest time ever
-
Costs of Russian, Chinese cyberattacks on German firms on rise: report
-
Stock markets rise after Nvidia's Intel deal, Fed rate cut
-
McLaughlin-Levrone nears world record as she wins women's world 400m gold
-
Australian teen Gout hungry for more after worlds exit
-
Trump, Starmer sign tech deal to seal 'unbreakable bond'
NYSE - LSE
Village partially destroyed in Swiss glacier collapse
A massive glacier collapse on Wednesday in southern Switzerland partially destroyed the small village of Blatten, which had been completely evacuated last week due to the impending danger, officials said.
Around 3:30 pm (1330 GMT), a huge collapse occurred on the Birch Glacier, emergency services in the Wallis region said.
Many homes in Blatten, normally home to 300 people, were destroyed, Jonas Jeitziner, deputy information officer for the regional emergency management service, told Switzerland's Keystone-ATS domestic news agency.
The glacier collapse had been expected for several days.
Footage posted on YouTube showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountain slope and into the valley where the village is located. The debris reached the houses.
A significant increase in activity was observed on the glacier from Tuesday night and intensified during Wednesday.
The Alps mountain range in Europe has seen its glaciers retreat in recent years due to warming that most scientists attribute to climate change.
Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume.
The amount of snow covering Switzerland's glaciers at the end of winter this year was 13 percent below the 2010-2020 average, a group of glacier monitoring experts said earlier in May.
O.Norris--AMWN
