This video was taken near the small village of Zinal in the Swiss Alps in an area called the Canton of Valais. The avalanche happened at an altitude of around 5,500 feet and occurred at on February 15, 2018 at 10 a.m.

There had been freezing temperatures for weeks, but then it suddenly began to rain, which caused this sudden collapse of snow. Controlled avalanches are quite common in this area, as they dislodge any loose snow in a safe manner and authorities can ensure nobody is standing in harm’s way. But this avalanche was natural.

The tiny people at the bottom of the video give a good sense of the scale of the snow falling.

This video was taken near the small village of Zinal in the Swiss Alps, in an area called the Canton of Valais. (Switzerland is made up of 26 Cantons – effectively states.) The avalanche happened at an altitude of around 5500 feet, and occurred at 10am on 15th February 2018.

There had been freezing temperatures for weeks, but then it suddenly began to rain, which caused this sudden collapse of snow. Controlled avalanches are quite common in that area, as they dislodge any loose snow in a safe manner, as authorities can ensure nobody is standing in harm’s way. But this one was natural.

In fact, just three days later on the 18th February, a group of hikers in the same Canton of Valais were injured during an avalanche; and two British people died in another part of the Alps that day. Full details here: https://news.sky.com/story/amp/ten-hikers-missing-after-avalanche-in-switzerland-11256746

The tiny people at the bottom of the video give a good sense of the scale of the snow falling.