Large iceberg breaks off Grey glacier in Chile, officials say such a rupture is rare

The 350m-long by 380m-wide iceberg floated free in waters of a glacial lagoon near the southern tip of the South American continent.

A large iceberg broke off the Grey glacier in southern Chile, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that the cause of the rupture was unclear.

Handout picture released by Chile's National Forest Corporation (CONAF) showing the Grey Glacier detachment in the Torres del Paine National Park in Punta Arenas, Chile. (AFP Photo)

Chile’s CONAF forestry service shared photos on social media of the enormous block of blue-white ice, which measured 350-metres-long by 380-metres-wide, as it floated free in waters of a glacial lagoon near the southern tip of the South American continent.

Park officials at Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, home to the glacier, said such ruptures were rare and had not occurred since the early 1990s.

Torres del Paine is one of Chile’s most popular tourist attractions, famous for its mountain views and visited by more than 115,000 tourists annually, according to CONAF.