5 Injured After Train Derailment in Swiss Alps

Five people were injured after a train derailed Monday morning in the Swiss Alps, prompting authorities to open an investigation into the circumstances of the accident, which may be linked to an avalanche.

The derailment occurred at around 7:00 a.m. local time near Goppenstein, on the railway line connecting Goppenstein and Hohtenn in southwestern Switzerland. Police in the canton of Valais confirmed the incident in a statement posted on X.

According to authorities, the train was carrying 29 passengers at the time of the accident. Five people were injured, including one woman who was transported to hospital. The four other injured passengers received medical treatment at the scene and did not require hospitalization.

Police said preliminary investigations suggest that snow may have reached the tracks shortly before the train passed, possibly due to an avalanche. The public prosecutor’s office in Valais has launched a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the derailment.

“We observed large quantities of snow on the tracks. But whether that snow arrived there as a result of an avalanche or through another mechanism is what the investigation will have to clarify,” Valais police spokesperson Daniel Imboden told Swiss television.

Last Thursday, avalanches had already buried part of a main road leading to the Goppenstein area, disrupting traffic for several hours, though no injuries or damage were reported.

Switzerland remains Europe’s leading country in rail usage per capita. In 2024, residents traveled an average of 2,519 kilometers per person by train, according to the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS.