GENEVA (AP) – Three train cars derailed and 11 people were injured Wednesday after a Swiss mountain train ran into a landslide in the Alps. One carriage slid off the tracks onto a steep slope and was halted by trees.
The accident happened in a deep wooded valley between Tiefencastel and Solis, southeast of Zurich in the canton (state) of Graubuenden. Some 200 people were on board at the time of the accident, which followed heavy rain in the region.
Five people were seriously injured and another six sustained slight injuries, Graubuenden police spokeswoman Anita Senti said.
Helicopters with an air rescue service helped the recovery efforts, since the site was not close to a road. By mid-afternoon, the train cars had been cleared.
The train is operated by Rhaetische Bahn, which runs narrow-gauge routes in Switzerland’s mountainous southeastern corner that are popular with tourists.