health
February 16, 2026
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.
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