GOPPENSTEIN, FEB 16: A regional train derailed early on Monday in southern Switzerland, police said, injuring five people with more than two dozen evacuated.
The accident near the town of Goppenstein occurred as the region is under its second highest avalanche warning, a level four out of five.
“According to initial findings, an avalanche may have crossed the tracks shortly before the train passed,” police stated, adding that the public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation.
At the time of the incident, around 7:00 am (0600 GMT), 29 people were on board the train, police said.
“Five people were injured. One of them was taken to hospital,” police said, adding that the rest of the passengers had been taken to safety.
Heavy snow was falling in the village, located at an altitude of 1,216 meters (4,000 feet), later Monday, an AFP journalist observed.
The train was not immediately visible. Goppenstein, a key loading and unloading hub for road and rail transport, is located at the exit of the Lotschberg rail tunnel. The train derailed as it was exiting the tunnel, police said.
Police advised journalists not to remain at the scene due to the high risk of avalanches in the area.
The federal train operator CFF also said on its website that train traffic “is interrupted between Goppenstein and Brig” because of an avalanche.
On Thursday, an avalanche buried a section of the main road linking the Lotschental valley to the plain at Goppenstein.
Road traffic and the Lotschberg car shuttle were interrupted for several hours. The incident, however, caused no injuries or damage.
Separately, authorities issued an evacuation order Monday for several areas in the municipality of Orsieres “following severe weather and strong winds recorded,” and with heavy rain forecast for later Monday.
Switzerland is renowned for its extensive and punctual rail network, with frequent services between cities, towns and even villages.
Rail enthusiasts come from all over the world to ride on some of the most picturesque routes, or those with exceptionally steep climbs.
The Swiss are the heaviest rail users in Europe in terms of kilometres travelled per person, but accidents have fallen in recent decades even as use grows, according to government statistics.
Fifteen people were wounded when two trains derailed some 20 minutes apart during a storm near the capital Bern in 2023.
