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 Avalanches from heavy snowfall in the European Alps claimed more lives over the weekend, as a train was derailed by a snow slide in Switzerland on Monday and roads and villages around Mont Blanc were closed or placed under evacuation orders. As large areas of the western Alps remained under a high risk of avalanche – following a week in which alerts reached category 5, the highest level – Swiss police said a train derailment caused by an avalanche injured five people near the town of Goppenstein. Continue reading...

By Peter Beaumont