Air force chief resigns
The commander of Switzerland's air force, Walter Knutti, has resigned following a military rafting exercise that left four soldiers dead and one missing.
Ronald Nef, chief of the country’s armed forces, told a news conference in Bern on Friday afternoon that the resignation was immediate. No successor was announced.
A statement released by the armed forces said that Knutti would be replaced in the interim by Markus Gygax.
The June 12 accident on the River Kandar in canton Bern is subject to an ongoing investigation by military prosecutors, Silvia Schenker, a defence military spokeswoman told Swiss radio.
The army has assigned 150 soldiers to continue a search in the area of Lake Thun for the missing soldier, who is presumed dead.
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