According to glacier experts, a heatwave has caused the melting of the glacier underneath which is made of 500 cubic meters of ice, roughly the size of a cathedral is prone to break apart any moment. The alarm raised by gliding helicopters across Planpincieux glacier, in the Mont Blanc massif near Val Ferret valley, near Courmayeur ski resort.
Foreseeing the calamity, atleast 75 residents have been evacuated along with tourists staying in hotels and police have blocked the roads to prevent people from reaching the tourist spot, as it is a frequent visited destination for hikers among others.
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The district has been divided into ‘red zone and yellow zone’ considering the aftermath of the disaster. Red zone being at immediate risk of a direct hit and yellow zone which can experience shockwaves due to displacement of air and other materials.
According to glacier experts, there is lot of build up of ice on the rock base that it is possible to detach in an instant warning about the aftereffects of the possible disaster. A similar incident was reported of the same glacier with reports of instability in 2019 and people were evacuated.
“There is an enormous block of ice resting on the rock and the danger is that it could detach in an instant,” glacier expert Fabrizio Troilo told the Corriere della Sera newspaper’s website. Jacopo Nitri, who owns a small hotel in the area said ”The season was going well despite the COVID pandemic.”
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