Train derails in Switzerland amid fatal avalanches across the Alps
Swiss police say derailment near Goppenstein injured five as large areas of western Alps remain under category 5 avalanche risk
TL;DR
- Avalanches in the European Alps over the weekend resulted in multiple fatalities.
- A train derailed in Switzerland near Goppenstein due to an avalanche, injuring five people.
- Large areas of the western Alps remain under a category 5 (highest level) avalanche risk.
- Recent incidents include three skiers killed in Val d'Isère, France, and two skiers in Courmayeur, Italy.
- A total of 13 off-piste skiers, climbers, and hikers died in the Italian mountains the week ending February 8.
- The dangerous conditions are attributed to recent heavy snowfall, high winds, and an unstable snowpack with fragile internal layers.
- A skier, Daniel Matthews, shared his experience of surviving an avalanche in Tignes, emphasizing his own poor decision-making.
- Grade 5 avalanche risk conditions are described as 'extraordinary' and can lead to numerous large, natural avalanches posing a danger to settlements and roads.