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France
French homes threatened by glacier
Trapped water posing a serious threat to Alpine residences.
THOUSANDS OF GALLONS of trapped glacier water on Mont Blanc are in danger of bursting and flooding a French Alpine valley, officials have said.
Some 65,000 cubit metres of water have been discovered inside the glacier by researchers working at the National Centre for Scientific Research. There’s enough water there to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to Reuters.
The researchers says it could burst at any time, and would destroy everything in its path. Nearly 900 homes are threatened.
A similar event occurred in July 1892, killing around 200 people.
A pumping operation to alleviate the problem is planned to run from the middle of next month until October, and locals have been warned about the danger.
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