Incredible photo shows 'iceberg tsunami' threat against tiny village
An iceberg the size of a hill has drifted close to a tiny village on the western coast of Greenland, causing fear it could swamp the settlement with a tsunami if it calves.
The iceberg, which is 6km wide, towers over houses on a promontory in the village of Innaarsuit but it is grounded and has not moved overnight, state broadcaster KNR reported.
A danger zone close to the coast has been evacuated and people have been moved further up a steep slope where the settlement lies, a Greenland police spokesman told Reuters.
“We can feel the concern among the residents. We are used to big icebergs, but we haven’t seen such a big one before,” Susanna Eliassen, a member of the village council in Innaarsuit, told KNR.
The government and police are on high alert and have moved a search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter closer to the remote village with about 170 inhabitants.
New York University professor David Holland, an expert in atmospheric and ocean science, told The Associated Press “this is the largest event we’ve seen in over a decade in Greenland”.
Last summer, four people died after waves swamped a settlement in northwestern Greenland.
With Associated Press and Reuters