As a follow-up to yesterday's posting (March 14) on the terrible tour bus crash that claimed the lives of 21 Belgians and seven Dutch citizens (22 of whom were young children) in Tuesday's (March 13) single-vehicle tour bus crash involving a group of 52 passengers returning to Belgium from a Swiss ski holiday. Additionally, 24 others were injured in the collision.
Police said the bus was not speeding and everyone aboard had been wearing seat belts when it crashed late Tuesday inside the 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) Tunnel de Geronde on a highway near the town of Sierre, a gateway to the Val d'Anniviers tourist region. No other vehicles were involved.
Belgian authorities flew anxious parents and relatives to the site and called for a day of mourning. The Swiss parliament held a minute of silence for the victims.
Investigators were still trying to determine how a modern bus, a rested driver and a seemingly safe tunnel could produce one of the deadliest highway crashes in Swiss history.
COMMENT: Olivier Elsig, prosecutor for the Swiss state of Valais, said officials were looking at three possible causes: (1) a technical problem with the bus; (2) a health problem with the driver (i.e., heart attack, stroke or sensory problem); or (3) human error. An autopsy of the driver, who was also killed, will be conducted as soon as possible.
Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf also flew to the scene to pay her respects to the victims, survivors and rescue officials. A crisis center was set up for families of the dead.
The crash occurred in a stretch of tunnel where the speed limit was 100 kph (62 mph). The bus suddenly veered toward the wall of the tunnel, hit a curb, then rammed into a concrete wall.
The bus was operated by the Top Tours company, based in Aarschot, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Brussels, which has had an excellent safety record in the past. Additionally, the drivers had arrived the night before and rested on the day of the departure. The bus was also relatively new.
The previous worst accident in a Swiss highway tunnel occurred in 2001, when two trucks collided in the Gotthard tunnel, killing 11 people. One of Europe's worst tunnel accidents took place in March 1999, when 39 people were killed after a truck caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy.
This posting will be updated as new information becomes available.
Police said the bus was not speeding and everyone aboard had been wearing seat belts when it crashed late Tuesday inside the 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) Tunnel de Geronde on a highway near the town of Sierre, a gateway to the Val d'Anniviers tourist region. No other vehicles were involved.
Belgian authorities flew anxious parents and relatives to the site and called for a day of mourning. The Swiss parliament held a minute of silence for the victims.
Investigators were still trying to determine how a modern bus, a rested driver and a seemingly safe tunnel could produce one of the deadliest highway crashes in Swiss history.
COMMENT: Olivier Elsig, prosecutor for the Swiss state of Valais, said officials were looking at three possible causes: (1) a technical problem with the bus; (2) a health problem with the driver (i.e., heart attack, stroke or sensory problem); or (3) human error. An autopsy of the driver, who was also killed, will be conducted as soon as possible.
Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf also flew to the scene to pay her respects to the victims, survivors and rescue officials. A crisis center was set up for families of the dead.
The crash occurred in a stretch of tunnel where the speed limit was 100 kph (62 mph). The bus suddenly veered toward the wall of the tunnel, hit a curb, then rammed into a concrete wall.
The bus was operated by the Top Tours company, based in Aarschot, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Brussels, which has had an excellent safety record in the past. Additionally, the drivers had arrived the night before and rested on the day of the departure. The bus was also relatively new.
The previous worst accident in a Swiss highway tunnel occurred in 2001, when two trucks collided in the Gotthard tunnel, killing 11 people. One of Europe's worst tunnel accidents took place in March 1999, when 39 people were killed after a truck caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy.
This posting will be updated as new information becomes available.
