Victims of rafting accident remembered
The armed forces has held a memorial service to mark the first anniversary of the death of five soldiers in a rafting accident in the Bernese Alps.
The head of the armed forces, André Blattmann, as well as the chief of the air force, Markus Gygax, took part in the ceremony along with around 60 relatives of the victims.
Blattmann said during the church service that the army bore the responsibility for the accident, and therefore he would do everything in his power to prevent a similar tragedy.
An investigation into the accident found that the rafting excursion was poorly planned and the troops involved lacked relevant experience.
The report said that no detailed reconnaissance of the river had apparently been carried out beforehand, and that no provision had been made for any rescue service to be on stand-by.
The officer who took the decision to go ahead with the rafting outing was one of five who survived.
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