No-one was hurt, but divers did not manage to recover the drone on Friday and the cause of the accident was not known. The drone was carrying a non-vital blood sample between a clinic and a laboratory on the other side of the lake.
Swiss Post said it was suspending its drone transport flights for Lugano and Zurich university hospital until the cause was found. It said “postal drones” have so far carried out more than 3,000 flights without accident in Lugano, Zurich and Berne.
Two hospitals in Lugano were the first to start using drones in 2017 to exchange lab samples. They say it saves them a lot of time, which can be vital in a case where, for example, a patient under anaesthetic needs a blood sample analysed quickly.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) meanwhile published a guideExternal link on Friday to help governments regulate drone deliveries, saying Switzerland could become a model for other countries in this field.
Thanks to the WEF guide, governments “will not have to start from scratch to develop their regulations on drones,” says its author Harrison Wolf, who led the project at the WEF Centre for the Fourth Industrial RevolutionExternal link. The “toolbox” draws on successful pilot projects in Switzerland, Rwanda and Malawi.
In a statement on Friday the director of the Swiss Federal Office of Civil AviationExternal link, Christian Hegner, said he was “very proud” of Switzerland’s contribution to this programme. “We have learned a lot in the last few years,” he said. “Sharing our expertise and learning from other countries will help speed up and extend drone security around the world.”
Popular Stories
More
Swiss oddities
Mennonite movement turns 500 in Zurich, where it all began
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Zurich police arrest 38 football and hockey fans after violent incidents
This content was published on
Zurich police have investigated 48 cases of fan violence at stadiums in the Swiss city since last autumn and arrested a total of 38 people, Swiss public television, SRF, reports.
Cashflow problems affect UN Human Rights Council activities
This content was published on
Certain activities of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council cannot be carried out in 2025-2026 due of the ongoing cash crisis affecting the UN.
Plaintiffs take Khaled Nezzar case to European Court of Human Rights
This content was published on
Two plaintiffs in a serious war crimes case against former Algerian Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
Swiss nuclear power plant restarts as Aare River cools down
This content was published on
The Beznau nuclear power station in canton Aargau has been generating electricity again since Tuesday, as the Aare River has cooled down. Both reactors had been disconnected last week.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Geneva airport ‘not immune’ to drone interference
This content was published on
“We could find ourselves in the same situation as Gatwick and have to close the airspace,” said Geneva Airport's communications director.
This content was published on
Drones will be used this month to start delivering laboratory samples between two hospitals in canton Ticino as part of tests carried out by Swiss Post.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.