In a social media post, the Valais police said that a train operated by Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon-Bahn (BLS), traveling from Goppenstein to Hohten, derailed around 07.00 am local time on Monday.
The police announced that there were 29 people on the train at the time of the accident. One injured passenger was transported to the hospital in Sion, while the other four people were treated at the emergency service on the spot. All passengers were evacuated.
– According to preliminary findings, the avalanche may have crossed the railway tracks just before the train passed – said the police.
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and BLS have announced the suspension of traffic between Goppenstein and Brig.
The line is currently closed and the disruption is expected to last until at least 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, SBB said on its website.
Fresh snowfall and storms resulted in a large amount of windblown snow in the Valais. Avalanches in such conditions can be easily triggered or appear spontaneously, according to the latest bulletin of the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, reports Xnihua.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
