A Swiss mountain village has been buried in a deluge of ice, mud and rock, after a big chunk of the Birch glacier collapsed into the valley below.

The village of Blatten, which was evacuated of its roughly 300 residents several days ago, was on Wednesday overwhelmed by thousands of tonnes of mud and ice.

Global warming is causing glaciers to melt more rapidly. Meanwhile, the permafrost – often described as the glue that holds high mountains together – is also thawing.

One person has been reported missing, and many homes have been flattened.