ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – A Rhaetian rail train slammed into a mudslide that covered the rails on a steep stretch between Coire and St Moritz Wednesday at 12:30, leaving five people in serious condition and six others less seriously injured. One of the carriages fell 10 metres into a ravine before it was stopped by trees. Two other carriages went off the rails.

Two of the injured are Japanese, one is Australian and the others are Swiss nationals.

The train was carrying 200 people on the Albula line, near Tiefencastel, when it hit the mudslide Wednesday shortly after noon. By mid-afternoon all the passengers had been rescued. More than 180 people were involved in the rescue operation, including firefighters, four Rega emergency helicopters, several ambulances, an Alpine Rescue team, Care Team Grischun, the Graubünden cantonal police and Rhaetian Railway workers.

Rail line likely to remain closed for two days

The rail line is likely to remain closed for two days, and travelers should expect longer travel times while they are rerouted by bus or other train lines, say authoritites.

Such accidents unpredictable

An “exceptional” amount of rain fell in the area last night: half the average monthly rainfall between midnight and mid-morning, according to MeteoSwiss. Cantonal police say 40-60mm fell in the area in 24 hours.

Switzerland has had far more rain than usual this summer in most areas, but police say Graubünden has had less extreme weather than other areas. Nevertheless, streams are carrying more water than usual, the soil is retaining more water and in many Alpine areas the situation is unpredictable, say Cantonal police. They said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that the Swiss Federal Forestry Office is keeping a close eyes on the situation and working with a number of regions to monitor it, but the risk depends on a number of conditions: the slope, the existing amount of water in the soil, rainfall and geological conditions in the subsurface.