A regional train that derailed on February 16, 2026, in Goppenstein, Switzerland HANDOUT FROM THE VALAIS REGION POLICE / AFP
Police said a regional train derailed early on Monday, February 16, in southern Switzerland, injuring five people and prompting the evacuation of more than two dozen others. The accident near the town of Goppenstein occurred as the region is under its second-highest avalanche warning, a level four out of five.
"According to initial findings, an avalanche may have crossed the tracks shortly before the train passed," police stated, adding that the public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation. At the time of the incident, around 7:00 am local time, 29 people were on board the train, police said. "Five people were injured. One of them was taken to hospital," police said, adding that the rest of the passengers had been taken to safety.
Heavy snow was falling in the village, located at an altitude of 1,216 meters, on Monday, an Agence France-Presse journalist observed. The train derailed as it was exiting a tunnel, police said.
The federal train operator CFF said on its website that train traffic "is interrupted between Goppenstein and Brig" because of an avalanche. Goppenstein, a key loading and unloading hub for road and rail transport, is located at the exit of the Lotschberg rail tunnel.
