The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Passenger dies in helicopter crash on Swiss glacier

Helicopter crashes on the Oberaletsch Glacier VS
Helicopter crashes on the Oberaletsch Glacier VS Keystone-SDA

A helicopter crashed in the Fusshörner region on the Oberaletsch Glacier in canton Valais on Saturday afternoon. The passenger in the helicopter, which was carrying three people, died. The pilot and flight assistant were slightly injured.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The helicopter was being used for agricultural transport at the Fusshörner on the Oberaletsch Glacier above Naters, cantonal police reported in the evening. For unknown reasons, the helicopter hit the ground and came to a standstill lying on its side, according to the cantonal police.

The 51-year-old passenger from Switzerland was killed. The pilot and the flight assistant were not seriously injured and received medical treatment. The helicopter belonged to the Valais airline Air-Glaciers. As the company announced in the evening, the helicopter tipped onto its side while hovering. Air-Glaciers said it was deeply saddened by the death of the passenger.

+ Swiss aviation’s worst air disaster remembered 25 years on

The cantonal police, the Valais rescue organisation, four helicopters, a rescue specialist and the Naters fire brigade were at the scene. The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board initiated an investigation. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is responsible for the criminal investigation in collaboration with the Valais cantonal police.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at english@swissinfo.ch

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Vevey refuses surveillance cameras at the station

More

Swiss town rejects surveillance cameras at train station

This content was published on Vevey does not want the station area to be monitored by cameras. In a vote held on Sunday, the population rejected a plan to install 44 cameras in the area in order to combat street dealing.

Read more: Swiss town rejects surveillance cameras at train station
Valais National Councillor Bregy is the new President of Mitte Schweiz

More

Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party

This content was published on Valais National Councillor Philipp Matthias Bregy is the new President of the Centre Party. The delegates elected him as the successor to Gerhard Pfister on Saturday in Bern without discussion.

Read more: Philipp Matthias Bregy named new president of Centre Party
A worldwide call for active neutrality launched from Geneva

More

Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva

This content was published on A number of players have launched a worldwide appeal for active neutrality in Geneva at a time when the major powers are taking a tougher line. The city is competing with Vienna to attract an international congress on this issue in 2026.

Read more: Global call for active neutrality launched from Geneva

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR