Train derails in Switzerland, injuring five amid avalanches in the Alps | Environment News
Train Derails in Southern Switzerland Amid Avalanche Warning
GOPPENSTEIN, Switzerland (AP) — A regional train derailed near Goppenstein on Monday, injuring five individuals as the region grapples with a significant avalanche risk, currently rated at level four out of five.
The incident occurred during heavy snowfall at an altitude of approximately 1,216 meters (4,000 feet). Initial police reports indicated that an avalanche might have crossed the tracks shortly before the train arrived, leading to an ongoing investigation by the public prosecutor’s office. One of the injured was transported to a hospital for treatment.
The derailment follows a series of deadly avalanche incidents in the Alps over recent days. On Friday, three skiers lost their lives in an avalanche at the upscale French resort of Val d’Isère. Cedric Bonnevie, responsible for overseeing the resort’s pistes, confirmed that at least one victim was a French national, while the others were from abroad. Reports suggest one skier was caught high on the slope, while two others—a group member and a professional guide—were caught lower down without forewarning of the impending avalanche.
In Italy, emergency responders reported that a record thirteen backcountry skiers, climbers, and hikers died in avalanches over the past week, highlighting the exceptionally unstable snowpack conditions. Recent storms have deposited additional snowfall, creating hazardous conditions across the Alpine regions of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, according to Italy’s Alpine Rescue.
“The passage of a single skier, or natural overloading from the weight of snow, can be sufficient to trigger an avalanche,” stated Federico Catania, a spokesperson for Alpine Rescue.
The recent avalanche fatalities took place on ungroomed mountain slopes, far from the monitored areas designated for the Winter Olympic events in Lombardy, Veneto, and the cross-country venues in Val di Fiemme.
