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Driver going wrong way causes accident in Gotthard tunnel

Wrong-way driver causes accident in Gotthard highway tunnel
Wrong-way driver causes accident in Gotthard highway tunnel Keystone-SDA

A 76-year-old driver going in the wrong direction caused a head-on collision on the A2 motorway in canton Uri on Friday. Five people were injured in the accident in the Naxberg tunnel.

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According to a statement from the Uri cantonal police, the motorist was driving south on the A2 after 7am. In the front tunnel of the Gotthard road tunnel, he turned around and drove back north in the overtaking lane.

In the Naxberg tunnel the man collided head-on with a correctly oncoming vehicle, according to the Uri cantonal police. Four people were seriously injured. One person suffered minor injuries. They were taken to the cantonal hospital in Altdorf by ambulances from the cantons of Uri, Ticino and Lucerne.

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It was unclear on Friday why the senior citizen turned his car when entering the Gotthard road tunnel. The police were also unable to provide any information on the amount of material damage.

The A2 was closed southbound for around 90 minutes due to the accident.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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