Italian authorities have closed roads and ordered the evacuation of huts on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, following warnings that part of a glacier could collapse at any moment
A staggering 250,000 cubic meters of ice could break away from the Planpincieux glacier on the Grandes Jorasses mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, experts at the Valle d'Aosta regional government and the Fondazione Montagna Sicura Hundreds mourn 'dead' glacier at funeral in Switzerland
While it's impossible to predict the exact timing of the collapse, observations in August and September showed that the glacier was shifting at a speed of 50 to 60 centimeters a day, experts said. "These phenomena once again show that the mountain is going through a phase of strong change due to climatic factors, therefore it is particularly vulnerable," Stefano Miserocchi, mayor of nearby Courmayeur,
."In this case, it's a temperate glacier particularly sensitive to high temperatures."As a precautionary measure, Miserocchi ordered the closure of roads in the Val Ferret valley and the evacuation of mountain huts in the Rochefort area.He added that a glacier collapse would not threaten residential areas or tourist facilities.
With 11 peaks above 4,000 meters between Italy and France, Mont Blanc is Western Europe's highest mountain range and is popular with hikers, climbers and skiers.According to the latest registry of glaciers, their surface area decreased from 609 square kilometers in 1989 to 368 square kilometers now -- a fall of 40%,
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