Hikers warned 12 football pitch-sized part of glacier could fall in Swiss Alps

Stock photo, Swiss Alps: PA

A huge part of a glacier said to be the size of 12 football pitches in the Swiss Alps could break off, warned local authorities, after the discovery of an enormous crevasse.

Swiss authorities have blocked all hiking trail close to the Giesen glacier, located at an altitude of 2,800 metres below the north face of the Jungfrau peak in the Bernese Alps.

A crisis team has been formed to monitor the situation, and Christian Abbuehl, heading up the group in Lauterbrunnen, said: 'A crevasse has been discovered at the Giesen glacier, which is found on the northeast side under the Jungfrau, leading to small pieces of ice falling off.

'We cannot rule out that a large amount of ice could break off in the direction of Trimmleten-Sandbach.'

He added: 'At the moment, the danger is not so great as it is going to get colder. For the population there is also no immediate danger.

'But we are observing the situation on a daily basis and we have closed off the hiking paths around the site.'

Discover some of the best autumn walks below:

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-134668%


Sign up to our weekly newsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a fan on Facebook