Steep hike in number of Alpine accidents
The first six months of 2011 saw the number of mountain accidents climb by over 50 percent compared to the same period last year.
Some 325 hikers were involved in mountain accidents in the first half of 2011, compared to 215 in the first six months of 2010, newspaper SonntagsZeitung reports, citing Swiss Alpine club figures.
The number of fatal accidents also experienced a 30 percent hike in comparison to 2010, with a total of 28 deaths.
Statistics also show that older people are increasingly likely to be victims of fatal mountain accidents: three quarters of the deaths were of people aged 50 years or higher. According to Ueli Mosimann, head of security at the Swiss Alpine Club, this shows that seniors often lack the necessary fitness and tend to overestimate their capabilities.
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