Swiss Village Spared As Rockslide Misses "By A Hair"

A Swiss village evacuated because of rockslide danger was spared "by a hair" when part of the mountain towering above the hamlet crashed down overnight, local officials said on Friday.

The 84 residents of Brienz in far-eastern Switzerland were evacuated on May 12 after authorities determined that Insel, an unstable peak above the village with some two million cubic metres of rock, could come down within days.

When the rockslide finally crashed overnight between 11:00 pm and midnight, it missed the empty hamlet "by a hair," according to a statement from local authorities.

"According to preliminary information, a large part of Insel collapsed rapidly. There is no indication of damage in the village, with the rocks mass having stopped just in front of the village," it said.

A metre-high wall of mud and rock came to a halt just in front of the village school, it said, adding that a closer inspection from the air would take place later on Friday.

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

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