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🇫🇷 France /Disasters & Emergencies

Swiss carriage accident kills one, injures twelve

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A horse-drawn carriage accident in eastern Switzerland killed one person and injured twelve others.
  • The carriage, carrying about 40 people on an excursion in Val Roseg, lost braking power on a slope and crashed into a tree.
  • Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crash, which involved a 73-year-old woman who died at the scene.

A tragic accident occurred in the scenic Val Roseg region of eastern Switzerland when a horse-drawn carriage carrying approximately 40 people veered off course and struck a tree. The incident, which took place during an excursion on Saturday, resulted in the death of a 73-year-old woman and left twelve others injured, two of them seriously.

The group was divided between two carriages, with the lead carriage consisting of the driver and two passenger trailers. While navigating a sloping section, the driver found the carriage's braking system inadequate. He attempted to steer the three-horse team towards a flatter area to reduce speed.

On a sloping section, the driver found the braking power insufficient and tried, with his team of three horses, to deviate towards a flatter area to slow down.

— police statementExplaining the driver's attempt to control the carriage before the crash.

During this maneuver, one of the horses fell, causing the driver to lose control of the carriage. The vehicle then violently collided with a tree, ejecting some of the passengers. Emergency services, including three helicopters and four ambulances, transported the injured to nearby hospitals. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

As soon as this maneuver began, one of the horses fell and the driver lost control of the carriage, which violently struck a tree, ejecting some passengers from the vehicle.

— police statementDescribing the moment of impact and ejection of passengers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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