Imagine residing in a community that might literally vanish off the face of the planet at any moment.
The inhabitants of a gorgeous Swiss hamlet are currently in a terrible position that sounds like something out of a far-fetched catastrophe film.
Pictures of charming Swiss villages often resemble Brienz because of its picturesque surroundings, vivid blue lake, and high mountains in the distance.
But it’s those very mountains that have this entire village on the brink of annihilation.
Two million cubic metres of rock is coming loose from the mountain it sits under and an imminent monster rockslide could completely obliterate the tiny village any day now.
Every single one of the 84 residents have now been evacuated from Brienz, which sits in the eastern canton of Graubunden and is known for its dramatic Alpine scenery.
Swiss authorities ordered people to get out by Friday last week over fears it could soon be buried beneath the collapsing mountainside.
The last man to leave was dairy farmer Giorgin Bonifazi who has been forced to move into his mother in law’s house with his wife Annette, and their 15-year-old daughter, while his 32 cows have been temporarily housed at a communal barn.
His flock of sheep have been left to fend for themselves in the fields around Brienz while the father-of-four and the rest of the community pray from afar for the mountain to crumble slowly to limit damage.
Giorgin, who has lived in Brienz his whole life, said: ‘The destructive power that the mountain could bring is terrifying to think about and so we have taken the advice of the authorities and left – only a madman would stay.
‘At night you could hear the rocks bouncing down the side of the mountain, they sounded like a train but after a while you got used to them but not this time.’
He said the rocks have started tumbling down more frequently and in larger quantities and that some have even landed in the field at the back of his house.
He told MailOnline: ‘If the mountain gives and the rockface comes down it will come through like an avalanche and destroy everything.
‘The problem is no one knows when we will be able to go back, it’s just a question of waiting and watching and hoping that when it does come down the village is spared.’
The rumble of shifting ground, the sporadic crackle of rocks colliding, and the remains of dead trees and dirt sliding down the mountain facade last week brought an eerie sense of impending potential catastrophe.
Farm workers could be seen loading cows onto a truck and heading out of the deserted village last week in anticipation of the mountain collapse as locals were urged to leave by 6pm on May 12.
Areas have been cordoned off with yellow warning signs in five languages that read: ‘Attention rockfall.’
A strict exclusion zone around Brienz is being manned by police and civil protection units with roadblocks in place.
Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Aviation has also issued a no-fly zone order over the area as part of the safety operation.
Geology experts say the rockslide has the potential to power through at more than 120 mph wiping out everything in its path.
Christian Gartmann, a member of the crisis management board of Albula, said: ‘We expect it to fall towards the village within the next few days or weeks.
‘The rock can come down in sections, which would be the most favourable solution.
‘It can also fall all at once, which would be disastrous for the village.’
Village mayor, Daniel Albertin, admitted getting everyone and everything out of Brienz has not been easy. He said: ‘This is a huge task for the entire community.’
Climate change is putting Switzerland at increased risk of natural hazards, including an increase in erosion due to higher temperatures, Swiss authorities say.
The extent of the damage that could fall upon Brienz remains to be seen and its future lies firmly in nature’s hand.
Elsewhere, a man who lives in ‘Britain’s Chernobyl’ says he will not leave despite it being earmarked for demolition.