Tourism · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Dutch Tour Bus Crashes in Switzerland’s Graubünden, Killing Several Near Susch and Zernez
Bus carrying 48 Dutch tourists overturned between Susch and Zernez in Graubünden, Switzerland Several people killed and many others injured in the crash
Whether a boulder evasive manoeuvre caused the crash.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: bus left the Netherlands on Monday and trip was from Austria day trip.
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Same story, two versions
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The Telegraph
“it was believed the vehicle had veered off the road to avoid a boulder”Read the original ↗
BBC
“The spokesperson told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf they could not yet say how many”Read the original ↗
Some outlets add a specific suspected mechanism; others avoid any cause.
Crash near Susch
A coach carrying Dutch tourists crashed in Switzerland’s eastern canton of Graubünden, overturning between Susch and Zernez at about 4.45pm on Thursday, according to police and Swiss media.
“The bus had been travelling from Zernez in eastern Switzerland to the nearby village of Susch about 4.45pm”
The bus was travelling from Zernez to the nearby village of Susch when it hit a guardrail and overturned, and Graubünden cantonal police spokesman Roman Rüegg said the police declined to comment on the number of victims until authorities had contacted relatives in the Netherlands.
The General Dutch Association of Travel Companies, speaking for tour operator OAD, confirmed 48 Dutch passengers were on the coach, and a spokeswoman for the association told De Telegraaf that it could not yet say how many people had been killed or injured.
Rescue operations involved helicopters and ambulances, and Swiss broadcaster SRF reported that multiple helicopters were deployed as part of the response after the crash occurred on the road between Susch and Zernez around 4:45 p.m. local time.
Cause and official uncertainty
Police confirmed “several people died” in the accident but did not immediately provide an exact number of casualties, while Anadolu Ajansı reported that authorities did not immediately provide details about the cause of the crash.
The Telegraph quoted ANVR director Frank Radstake saying it was believed the vehicle had veered off the road to avoid a boulder, and he added that “The bus driver had to make an evasive manoeuvre, possibly because of a boulder on the road,” to RTL Nieuws.T
Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed condolences in a post on X, saying he was “deeply shocked” by the incident and offering “sincere condolences” to the families of those who lost their lives.
The BBC reported that the spokesperson for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies told De Telegraaf they could not yet say how many people had been killed or injured, and that the coach reportedly left the Netherlands on Monday and was on a day trip to Switzerland from Austria when the crash happened.B
Tourism stakes and investigation
The crash has put Dutch tourism operators and their overseas routes under immediate scrutiny, with multiple outlets identifying the tour operator as OAD and the passenger group as 48 Dutch nationals.
“Zernez sits at the gateway to the Swiss National Park”
The BBC reported that Parmelin said there will be a “comprehensive” investigation into what happened, while Euronews said local police confirmed the fatalities via a post on X but had not yet released the number of victims or any explanation for what caused the vehicle to leave the road.B
Euronews also described the crash as taking place on the stretch of road linking Susch and Zernez in the Engadine valley, and it noted that Zernez sits at the gateway to the Swiss National Park.
In the meantime, police established a hotline for relatives and consulates seeking information about the accident, and Anadolu Ajansı reported that emergency services were deployed after Graubünden cantonal police first reported the crash at around 6.30 pm local time (1630GMT).