A monstrous blizzard has paralyzed Switzerland, culminating in Monday’s harrowing train derailment near Goppenstein village that injured five. The Swiss weather bureau stresses ongoing perils, maintaining top-tier avalanche advisories into next week as the nation braces for more turmoil.
En route from Spiez to Brig since 6:12 a.m., the passenger train with 80 aboard encountered doom around 7 a.m. when an avalanche hurled it from the tracks in the southern Alps. Rescue operations excelled, freeing 30 without harm and ferrying casualties by air and ambulance. Police accounts paint a scene of sudden, savage onslaught.
Category 5 warnings – evoking visions of colossal snowfalls – dominate Alpine forecasts, a rarity signaling imminent mega-avalanches. The storm’s shadow lengthens: multiple deaths logged, infrastructure crippled with rails offline till Tuesday. Sunday brought fresh grief in Davos, where a 38-year-old snowboarder succumbed to an off-trail avalanche under Schwarz horn in the Parsenn area at 1:30 p.m.
His companion’s prompt rescue call spurred a valiant dig, to no avail. The weekend’s echoes resound from France, where Val d’Isère’s Friday slide killed three, two being UK nationals with their mentor. As teams toil amid the freeze, experts warn of protracted risks, calling for mountain-goers to heed closures and stay safe.