British composer and renowned musician among plane crash victims
The crash site of the plane accident at the Simplon Pass can be seen in this Valais cantonal police picture
Keystone/Kantonspolizei Wallis
An award-winning British composer and an acclaimed saxophonist died along with their baby in a plane crash in western Switzerland on Sunday, confirmed a family spokesperson on Tuesday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jdp
The couple, Jonathan Goldstein and Hannah Marcinowicz, set off from an airfield in western Switzerland for Italy at around 9 am on Sunday. Police from the canton of Valais reported that at around 10:30 am the small piper plane crashed “due to unexplained circumstances” above the Simplon pass near the Italian border and burst into flames.
The cause of the crash is unknown and Swiss authorities have launched an investigation.
Just prior to take off, the couple had posted updates of their trip on Facebook with a last update from Lausanne on Saturday afternoon of Goldstein flying a small plane with Marcinowicz holding their daughter Saskia.
In a statement, a family spokesperson said: “We are all devastated by the news of Jonathan, Hannah and Saskia’s deaths. We loved them all so very much. They were so happy together and we will miss them terribly.”
Goldstein was a composer of music for film and television, working on projects including the film “Cape Fear” directed by Martin Scorsese. He had his own music production agency in London and had won several awards for original music.
According to her websiteExternal link, Marcinowicz graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and played the saxophone with many top British orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
This content was published on
On Saturday the Lake Geneva, Valais and Basel regions are expected to record the first tropical day of the year, with temperatures exceeding 30°C.
This content was published on
The Swiss economy saw the clouds that had gathered over its prospects lift somewhat in May. However, the KOF economic barometer is still below its long-term average.
Direct operations too dangerous in Swiss landslide valley
This content was published on
By Friday morning 365 people had been forced to leave their homes because of Wednesday's landslide in the Swiss village of Blatten.
Franco-Swiss raclette war set to be settled on Sunday
This content was published on
The battle for the world's largest raclette will be transformed on Sunday in Saint-Gingolph, canton Valais, into a raclette of friendship served at the border.
Flood risk threatens Swiss valley after ‘millennium event’ glacier collapse
This content was published on
Two days after a gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris buried much of the village of Blatten in canton Valais, the danger is not over.
Situation in Swiss landslide valley remains unstable
This content was published on
Authorities in Valais said on Thursday that it was still too dangerous to begin clear-up activities around the village of Blatten.
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
Pilot error caused fatal Swiss plane crash
This content was published on
Despite insufficient visibility, the pilot flew based on what he could see rather than what the navigational instruments were telling him, the court found. This cost him his life when the PC-7 plane crashed into the Schreckhorn mountain (altitude 4,080m / 13,386ft) near Grindelwald. The small Pilatus propeller plane had taken off from the Payerne…
Swiss probe says boy, 14, at controls of crashed plane
This content was published on
Swiss investigators say a 14-year-old was at the controls of a small plane that crashed in the Alps in 2017, killing him and two other people.
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.