Landslides containing rocks, mud and granite caused by the massive melting of Swiss mountain glaciers have damaged the coastal village of Blaton. The avalanche that came on Wednesday covered about 90 percent of Blaton, which is surrounded by a valley, according to Reuters, citing the local mayor. Most of the damage was done in the southwest part of Blaton.

According to the police officer at the regional level there, a 64-year-old senior citizen is missing in the avalanche, as reported by the international news agency AP. Jonas Zetziner, a spokesman for the Lochenthal Crisis Center, told the AP that local officials were studying the damage by helicopter. According to preliminary reports, the houses and physical structures of the settlement have been buried due to the avalanche. A regional government official has said that there is a possibility of a dam bursting due to a landslide near the river named Lonza. Speaking at a press conference after the

incident, Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rosti called the incident "unexpected". He also promised to rehabilitate the locals whose homes were damaged. About a week ago, the Swiss administration issued an order to about 3 hundred residents of Blaton to move to a safer place, saying that there is a risk of melting and bursting the part of the glacier equal to 1.5 million cubic meters.

According to the annual report of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos) published two years ago, climate change has greatly affected the glaciers and the melting rate of Switzerland's glaciers has increased. In the last two years alone, 10 percent of Switzerland's glaciers have melted in a study.