Public security

Mitholz: Swiss town faces 10-year evacuation over arms dump

A Swiss village may have to evacuate for over a decade while authorities clear a huge World War Two arms dump.

The defence ministry concluded last year that the cache posed an "unacceptable" risk to the nearby people of Mitholz.

Now, authorities say residents may have to leave while they clear the site.

"Depending on how the work develops, residents should expect the evacuation to last up to more than 10 years," the ministry said.

Residents would have to approve the plan to leave the area. A public consultation is under way to see how best to proceed.