Last summer a water pocket was found inside the Tête-Rousse glacier. A result of the warming alpine climate the cold tongue of the glacier prevented the water from escaping. The last time this happened, in 1892, the vast reservoir burst sweeping down on the town of St Gervais killing a hundred people. The traces are still visible in the valley. To prevent a catastrophe engineers worked over the summer to empty the pocket. At 3200 meters they used jet hoses with boiling water to cut through the ice and reach the water pocket.
Le Figaro has a fascinating photo-reportage on the operation.
