Residents of the Swiss mountain village of Brienz have to leave the settlement again because of an overhanging huge rock mass, reported DPA, quoted by BTA.
Local authorities have ordered the evacuation to end by noon on Sunday. They indicate that the village is expected to be inaccessible for several months. A ban on entry to the area is now in effect for people from outside Brienz.
In recent weeks, masses of rock debris on the slope above the village, inhabited by about 90 people in the Grisons region, have increasingly started to move.
According to geologists, it is possible that up to 1.2 million cubic meters of rock debris could suddenly accelerate to over 80 km/h and fall on the village.
Rainfall is expected this coming weekend, which could cause the debris to move, explained Christian Hartmann, a spokesman for the municipality, in connection with the evacuation order.
In front of DPA, he justified the evacuation with the words: "You can't just stand and watch".
In May 2023, Brienz was already preemptively evacuated in anticipation of a landslide. In June 2023, a huge debris flow did descend from the mountain, passing the old school building just a few meters away.