Alpine tsunami warning

Swiss scientists warn that rapidly melting glaciers could trigger a tsunami thousands of metres above sea level.

The Trift Glacier in the canton of Bern, which has shrunk by an entire kilometre since 2000, is giving particular cause for concern.

Glacier expert Martin Funk from the Federal Technical University in Zurich believes up to six million cubic metres of water are now contained in a lake at the foot of the glacier.

He says if the water level continues to rise it could cause giant blocks of ice to crack and break off, crashing into the lake below and causing giant tsunami-like waves to head down the mountain.

Alpine villages such as Innertkirchen, lying below the Trift Glacier, could be wiped out by the powerful rush of water, mud and ice.

ETH researchers, who are keeping a close watch on the glacier around the clock, are also trying to build protective walls around the lake and develop ways to drain some of the water from it.

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