Massive rockslide just misses Swiss village

A Swiss village came within a hair's breadth of being wiped off the map when a mountain towering above it collapsed overnight, officials said Friday.

The massive rock-slide missed Brienz in the east of the country, which had been evacuated on Monday, "by a hair", they said.

The 84 inhabitants were ordered from their homes on Monday after the authorities said the Insel peak had become unstable.

They said two million cubic meters of rock could come down within days. The rock-slide finally happened between 11:00 pm and midnight.

"A large part of Insel collapsed rapidly. There is no indication of damage in the village, with the rock mass having stopped just in front of the village," according to a statement from local authorities.

A meter-high wall of mud and rock came to a halt just in front of the village school, it said.

Geologists are due to provide an assessment of the landslide and possible future scenarios after surveying the area from a helicopter.

But already there are fears of more rock falls.

"We're assuming that unfortunately this is not yet all," Christian Gartmann, a regional spokesman, told the Keystone-ATS agency.

The village's residents have been in temporary accommodation since their evacuation.

The slide has forced the Tour de Suisse cycling race to delay Friday's stage, which was due to take place in the area.

AFP