Holy crap! Massive ice bridge connecting glaciers in Patagonia, Argentina collapses

Dramatic footage shows astonishing moment huge ice bridge joining two halves of glacier collapses into lake This is the amazing moment a ' miraculous' arch of ice joining two halves of a glacier crumbled into the water below, as tourists who risked their life to witness it looked on.

Experts had warned that the "Perito Moreno" in Patagonia, Argentina was about to collapse for the first time since March 2012.

The glacier, which is about 200 square kilometres, is located in the Andes mountains, the natural border between Argentina and Chile.

One of Argentina's great tourist attractions, it is 60 metres high, as tall as a 20-storey building, and gets its name from the explorer Francisco Moreno (1852-1919).

Dramatic footage shows moment Patagonian Perito Moreno glacier breaks offThe bridge of ice joins the two halves of the Patagonian Perito Moreno glacier The river of ice 18 miles (30 km) long ends in a sheer wall blocking Lago Argentino where large pieces tumble into the water from time to time.

About 4,500 people were on the observation deck when part of the glacier, known as the “White Giant” plunged into the water.

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But others were stood at the lake's edge and risked being swamped by the waves and spray.

Experts say the water level rises by as much as 24ft when the ice crashed into the water.

Dramatic footage shows moment Patagonian Perito Moreno glacier breaks offThe footage captured the moment the ice bridge collapsed into the lake below Up to 3,000 tourists flock to the National Park every day in the hope of witnessing the rare phenomenon and some strike lucky.

Fantastic videos have been posted on Youtube which might be some consolation to those who missed it.

It is likely to be several more years, if not longer, before it happens again.