Woman killed in tourist carriage crash in Switzerland

The fatal accident occurred when a group of 40 tourists were returning by horse-drawn carriage to Pontresina after an excursion in the Upper Engadine valley in southeastern Switzerland. Keystone-SDA

A 73-year-old woman was killed and 12 others injured, including two seriously, in an accident involving a horse-drawn tourist carriage in Val Roseg, near Pontresina, on Saturday.

The fatal accident occurred when a group of 40 tourists were returning by horse-drawn carriage to Pontresina after an excursion in the Upper Engadine valley in southeastern Switzerland. The group consisted of two horse-drawn carriages, the Rhaetian cantonal police reported today.

On a downhill stretch of road, one of the drivers realised that the braking power was insufficient. He tried to steer the three-horse carriage onto flat land to reduce its speed but in doing so one of the horses fell, and the driver lost control of the carriage.

Violent accident

The lead carriage then collided violently with a tree near the road and several passengers were thrown from the carriage. A 73-year-old woman sustained extremely serious injuries and died at the scene.

The other injured were transported by three helicopters and four ambulances to nearby hospitals. The uninjured members of the tour group were looked after in Pontresina by support teams. According to the cantonal police, the 40 members of the group are residents of Switzerland.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the accident, in collaboration with the cantonal police.

Val Roseg is a small valley stretching southwards from Pontresina towards Piz Glüschaint and Piz Roseg. These two peaks lie on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The valley is bounded to the west by Piz Corvatsch and to the east by Piz Bernina.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.