Passenger train derails with injuries feared as Swiss railway line is hit by avalanche
A passenger train derailed in Switzerland, and the police were worried that those on the train would be injured as a result of an avalanche on the railway line.
Approximately 80 people were on the BLS train that derailed near Goppenstein in the canton of Valais.
The train had left Spiez at 6.12am and was heading towards Brig when it derailed around 7am today.
A BLS spokesperson told 20 Minuten this morning that the train was derailed by an avalanche, adding: ‘Passengers will be evacuated shortly.’
Local police stated that it was ‘likely’ that those on board were injured, adding that an intervention had already been initiated regarding the incident.
Following the incident, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said the affected line was suspended and the outage was expected to last until 4am on Tuesday.
This occurred just days after another avalanche hit the area, temporarily cutting it off from the rest of the world.
After the avalanche, heavy snowfall was seen in the region
A snowslide occurred in the Lötschental valley last week, and a federal agency described it as an ‘extraordinary event’.
Police Valais said in a post on Final cleaning work continues, the road will reopen from 19:00.
‘I didn’t hit any vehicles, there were no injuries.’
