A cascade of events in the Swiss Alps led to the dramatic collapse of the Birch glacier, wiping out Blatten village in the valley below, glaciologists and geoscientists told AFP on Friday.

The Valais local government said the damage is "considerable," with one person missing and homes under debris.

An Alaska man who was pinned facedown in an icy creek by a 700-pound boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife’s quick thinking and lots of luck.

A hiker in Alaska miraculously survived after he was trapped facedown in a frigid creek for three hours under a massive boulder. Kell Morris was hiking with his wife below a glacier outside the city of Anchorage when a rock slide sent him plunging into the creek.

Kell Morris, 61, was pinned by a boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. His wife, Jo Roop, held his head above water while waiting for rescuers.