Geneva, Switzerland
The coach “veered off the road in a construction zone and overturned”, Graubunden police said in a statement, adding that “of the 45 adults on board, five died”.
Three people had also been seriously hurt, while 37 others had suffered moderate or minor injuries, police said, adding that an investigation had been opened into the circumstances that led to the accident.
The Dutch Federation of Travel Agencies (ANVR) told AFP that the coach belonged to the tour company Oad, and that all of the passengers were from the Netherlands.
According to the ANVR, the coach left the Netherlands on Monday and was on a day trip to Switzerland from Austria when the crash happened.
Oad said in a statement it was “deeply shocked and devastated by the tragic accident”.
Zernez is the entry point for visitors to the Swiss national park, a vast Alpine reserve stretching more than 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) across the mountainous Engadine valley.
ag/nl/yad
Coach accidents on alpine routes usually trace back to the same factors — descent speed, brake management and driver fatigue on long transfers. That combination has caused similar incidents before. It’s a systemic issue, not just a one-off error. I saw a similar analysis at https://spinwinera.pt and it was sober rather than sensational.