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Switzerland’s oldest person dies at the age of 111

old home
Symbolic image KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Born before the Titanic sank, Switzerland's oldest person died on Friday at the age of 111.

She had lived for the last 20 years in the Les Roches home for the elderly in Orvin in canton Bern.

“She was a very approachable and jovial person,” said Stéphan Chopard, director of the Résidence Les Roches, on Monday, referring to a report in the Journal du Jura. She was considered to be the oldest woman in Switzerland. Born on March 26, 1912 she was able to maintain a degree of independence until shortly before her death on February 23.

The home’s director had no explanation for her unusual longevity but emphasised the positive and cheerful spirit shown by the centenarian. It was in 2021 that the woman from Biel was awarded the title of “Switzerland’s oldest person”. But the proof was not easy to establish because of the difficulty in finding information, the director of the home explained to press agency Keystone-ATS.

“We had to do some cross-checking, but it was a student in St Gallen who was taking part in a study on super centenarians who confirmed that she was indeed the oldest woman in Switzerland,” said Chopard. The director added that no one has contested this longevity record.

Translated from French by DeepL/ac

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