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Authorities have reopened an Italian valley and ended the red alert over fears that a Mont Blanc glacier could break apart.
On Thursday, some 75 tourists and residents were evacuated from the Ferret Valley area around the northwestern Italian municipality of Courmayeur after specialists warned that the mass of ice - with a volume of 500,000 cubic meters - could split.
Friday saw tourists barred from entering the scenic valley, but two days later the Mayor of Courmayeur announced that the red alert had been rescinded and that the area was open to visitors again.
The mayor thanked the emergency services and geological scientists for their prudence and quick response. However, while he stressed the measures were necessary, he expressed regret over the economic impact of the scare on local tourism, particularly in light of already dwindling visitor numbers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Planpincieux Glacier - its size likened to that of a soccer field under 80-meters of ice - lies under a massif on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps.
Shifts in temperature have been blamed for its precarious state, with scientists starting to closely monitor the ice in 2013 after fears it was losing altitude. Over the weekend, scientists feared that it had been creeping downwards by 80-100 centimeters each day.
Video editor: Terry Wilson
Source(s): AP
