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Accidents abound on icy Swiss roads

Lyssandra Sears
Lyssandra Sears - [email protected]
Accidents abound on icy Swiss roads

Snow and icy conditions have caused chaos on Swiss roads, with cars and trucks overturning up and down the country.

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On Wednesday, in the canton of Basel alone, 15 car accidents were reported within the space of a few hours, at a rate of one almost every quarter of an hour, police reported. Several cars needed to be towed.

The fire brigade was called on Wednesday morning to Wilen, where a truck crashed through a wall and overturned on the road. The accident caused over 100,000 francs ($109,000) of damage to the wall, the police said. A crane was required to remove the truck.

In Aesch, a car came off the road, slid across a sidewalk and plunged 20 metres into a field. The elderly driver and passenger were taken by ambulance to hospital.

A learner driver lost control in Diegten, gliding into the opposite lane and colliding headfirst with a van.

Another car skidded across some railway tracks in Appenzell, overturned and landed in a field.

Two cars crashed into a bridge barrier in Hölstein causing extensive damage. Luckily no-one was injured.

Temperatures on Wednesday plunged to -26 degrees in the Conches valley, with between -5 and -10 degrees recorded at lower altitudes.

The cold temperatures are expected to drop still further over the weekend, with temperatures reaching -12 on the plains, and as low as -40 in the mountains, the Tribune de Genève reports.

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