These Swiss villagers are fleeing an imminent Alpine rockslide

It is an emotional time for the people of Brienz/Brinzauls living in the shadow of a crumbling mountain, who have been told by the authorities to immediately evacuate their homes.

Experts say in a worst-case scenario that 2 million cubic metres of rock looming overhead could break loose and crash down on the tiny Swiss village in the next seven to 24 days.

Local leaders have told residents they must leave their homes by 6pm on Friday May 12 but can return to the village from time to time, depending on the risk level, but not stay overnight.

+ More on why the village was evacuated

Many of the evacuees are expected to stay with family or friends, though local leaders have received offers from concerned neighbors to provide temporary housing.

Brienz/Brinzauls straddles German- and Romansh-speaking parts of canton Graubünden, southwest of Davos at an altitude of about 1,150 metres (about 3,800 feet). Today it has less than 100 residents.

Over the last century, the village itself has moved a few centimeters (inches) each year, but the movement sped up over the last 20 years. The landslide has been moving about a metre per year. Geological surveys suggest the situation has become even more precarious.

Experts say that, unlike many other unstable parts of the Alps, the Brienz/Brinzauls rockslide threat is not linked to global warming, as there is no thawing permafrost on the nearby mountain.