Huge boulders that have blocked roads and some that have fallen inches from homes have rained down millions of cubic meters of rock on a small Swiss village.
Geologists warned that a significant rockfall was about to occur, so the entire 70-person village of Brienz was evacuated in the middle of May.
It had been unstable for years on the rockface known as "the island" that was directly above the village.
However, this spring the rock slippage accelerated.
Many Brienzers were dissatisfied with the evacuation order's hasty arrival because they had anticipated temporarily leaving their homes. They had been informed to expect a move sometime in late summer days before the order arrived.
On May 9, they were instead called to a special village meeting and given 48 hours to leave.
Some people expressed annoyance that the anticipated significant rockfall did not occur in the following weeks. The rocks appeared to be trickling down slowly and harmlessly, so why couldn't they just go home, they questioned.
The mountain responded on Thursday night.
The estimated two million cubic meters of loose rock fell, at least half of which was crushed.
Although there is little chance of returning home soon, the villagers were relieved to learn that there was no obvious damage to houses from helicopters assessing the scene. On the mountain above, there may still be one million cubic meters of loose rock.
There is a risk for everyone nearby even if the falling rocks do not destroy people's homes.
The village's spokesman, Christian Gartmann, told Swiss TV that large boulders colliding as they fell could send flying fragments of rock "like cannonballs," shattering windows and injuring people seriously.
Some ponder whether Brienz's circumstance is related to global warming. Alpine regions in Switzerland are particularly vulnerable to global warming.
The rock becomes unstable as the glaciers recede and the high mountain permafrost starts to thaw.
Although there is no permafrost on the mountain above Brienz, the unusually heavy rain this spring, which is also linked to global warming, undoubtedly played a role in the evacuation order. Water-soaked mountainside started to descend more quickly towards the valley.
Geologists caution that as the climate changes, mountain areas should prepare for more rockslides.
For the time being, Brienz's residents must wait to return home.
