Switzerland: Several hurt in two separate train derailment incidents; rescue ops underway

Switzerland faced two separate train derailment incidents on Friday in which several people are reported to have been injured. Both derailments took place in the northwestern part of the country located in the European Alps.

In one incident, the rear carriages of a train derailed, while the other derailment took place around 40 kilometres away. A Bern canton police spokeswoman told news agencyAFP: "There are injuries in both trains", adding that police, firefighters and ambulance workers were still at the scene.

The first incident happened in the lakeside town of Luscherz, 110km northwest of the capital Bern, at around 4:30 pm (1430 GMT), the Bern cantonal police said. The train was travelling between Luscherz and Bienne.

"A train derailed. The rear part of the train fell on the right side," a Bern cantonal police spokeswoman told AFP.

"There are several injured," she said, without being able to give more details on the condition of those involved.

"Rescue interventions -- police, ambulance and firefighters -- are still in progress," she added.

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Police said they do not yet know why the train derailed.

Regional rail operator Aare Seeland Mobil said that services were cancelled on the line due to "a derailment caused by a storm", with the duration of the disruption "unknown". The second incident took place around 20 minutes later at Buren zum Hof.

The Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn regional rail operator said some services had been suspended "as a result of the storm".

(With inputs from agencies)

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