Photo: Uri cantonal police
Ski bus carrying 38 children catches fire
Published: 08 Jan 2013 11:25 GMT+01:00 | Print version
Updated: 08 Jan 2013 11:25 GMT+01:00
Traffic was disrupted in the Gotthard road tunnel on Tuesday morning after a Belgian bus carrying children on a ski trip caught fire.
No one was injured in the incident, which occurred around 5 am when flames broke out in the rear engine of the vehicle on the A-2 Highway, Uri cantonal police said.
The bus was carrying 45 people, including 38 children, on their way to a ski camp in Italy, cantonal police said.
The fire occurred just before the bus was set to enter the 16.4-kilometre tunnel, police said.
The driver parked the vehicle on the shoulder of the highway and the passengers disembarked.
Gotthard fire protection workers put out the blaze, which caused damage estimated at 12,000 francs, police said.
The bus passengers were brought to an industrial yard where they awaited a replacement bus to take them on to their destination.
Police said they are investigating the cause of the fire.
The incident comes less than three weeks after a fatal crash, followed by a fire, closed the Gotthard tunnel for seven hours on December 20th.
The driver of a car died after it collided head on with a truck in the south end of the tunnel.
Safety measures in the tunnel linking the canton of Uri with Italy have been stepped up since 11 people lost their lives and a further 128 people were injured after two trucks collided there in a horrific accident 11 years ago.
Today's headlines
Photo: Richemont
Swiss luxury goods giant Richemont said on Tuesday that a top executive had resigned, amid expectations the group that owns Cartier, Piaget and Montblanc will sell off under-performing brands.
READ () »
Photo: Sierre cantonal police
The crash of a Belgian coach that killed 28 passengers, including 22 children, on a ski trip to Switzerland last year was caused either by a malaise suffered by the driver or by his inattention, an official said on Tuesday.
READ () »
St. Paul's church, near where the fatal accident occurred. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
An elderly woman is dead after an out-of-control car knocked her down on Monday in the centre of Lucerne, where she was walking.
READ () »
Marie, found dead last week after being abducted by a convicted murderer under house arrest. Photo: Vaud cantonal police
More than 250 people took part in a march in Lausanne on Monday afternoon to protest against the judicial system in the wake of the death of Marie, a 19-year-old woman killed last Wednesday after being kidnapped.
READ () »
Grasshoppers celebrate winning the cup for 19th time. Photo: Grasshopper Club Zürich
In a surprise result, Zurich-based football club Grasshopper beat defending champions FC Basel on penalty kicks on Monday to gain the 19th Swiss Cup victory in its history.
READ () »
Members of the Swiss team celebrating during earlier win against Sweden. Photo: AFP
After going undefeated throughout the world ice hockey championship tournament, Switzerland finally succumbed to home town favorite Sweden in the final, losing 5-1 in Stockholm on Sunday.
READ () »
Switzerland will play hosts Sweden in the final of the world ice hockey championships on Sunday after each side registered a 3-0 semi-final victory over the United States and Finland respectively.
READ () »
US actress Eva Longoria poses on Friday at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Photo: AFP
Jewellery worth more than $1 million made by Swiss luxury watchmaker and jeweller Chopard and due to be loaned to stars walking the red carpet at the Cannes film festival were stolen from a hotel, French police said on Friday.
READ () »
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Photo: AFP
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang embarks this weekend on his first foreign trip since taking office, with a stop in Switzerland on the itinerary and free trade talks between the two countries close to completion.
READ () »
The former Salvation Army band, Takasa, shorn of their uniforms. Photo:Eurovision
The Salvation Army band carrying Switzerland’s hopes into the Eurovision Song Contest was vanquished on Thursday night in Malmö, Sweden.
READ () »
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.