Home vanishes in German landslide

Homes were swept into a lake Enlarge Image

Three people are missing and feared dead after a landslide swept away two homes in the central German village of Nachterstedt, south-west of Berlin.

Both homes - one of which collapsed completely - stood near a former open-cast coal mine that had been converted into a lake.

Officials said the missing included a couple and a man, all in their 50s.

There had been heavy rain in the area, but experts said mining activity had probably made the land unstable.

Local media said a stretch of land 350m (1,150 ft) long and 120m (390 ft) wide had collapsed into the lake.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the danger of further slides in the area.