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Landslide in the French Alps

Video. WATCH: Rockslide in French Alps halts traffic between France and Italy

Updated:

A landslide in the French valley of Maurienne has brought traffic and train services to and from the Franco-Italian border to a standstill. Authorities say the shutdown could last until Thursday at the earliest.

Train services between France and Italy have been halted for the foreseeable future after a huge rockslide in the Maurienne valley in the French Alps blocked some railways and roads. 

Regional authorities in Savoie said the landslide occurred at 5:15 pm on Sunday, when "boulders with a total volume of 700 cubic metres" slammed into a protective barrier along the road that leads to the Mont-Cenis pass into Italy's Susa valley.

According to the French railway operator, the landslide forced the suspension of all cross-border trains on the Chambery-Turin line.

The Frejus tunnel connecting France and Italy under the Alps has also been closed to heavy trucks, drivers are being advised to use the Mont Blanc tunnel or the A8 motorway instead.

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