One of the best-known mountains in the Alpine region on the border between German Bavaria and Austrian Tyrol, Hochvogel, is likely to collapse soon, potentially sending 260,000 cubic metres of rock into the valley below it.
Experts who have been using seismic monitors and inspections for years say the crevasse at the peak, which has been widening for a long time, has already started sending some rock falls down. It's one of a number of high peak areas under observation.
It's not clear whether the mountain will come apart in a series of smaller collapses over a period of time, or if at some point the unstable area will send the whole mass down at once. In any case, local officials say, there is no one living in the area where the rock will fall, although they might be affected by dust clouds in a sudden collape.
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