Head-on crash in Martigny tunnel killed 1, injured 3 others in the car and the van driver
SION, SWITZERLAND - Canton Valais police are seeking witnesses or people with information that will clarify what caused a head-on crash that killed a 65-year-old woman and sent five others to hospital late Wednesday, in Martigny.
The crash occurred Wednesday 18 August at 17:30 in the Mont-Chemin tunnel, near the Transalpin roundabout. The 66-year-old driver of the car, from canton Aargau, was heading towards the A21. A van, driven by a 24-year-old Portuguese man, was coming from the opposite direction.
The reason for the collision is unclear.
The driver, both occupants of the van and two children, ages 7 and 11 who were in the rear of the car, were taken to hospital with injuries, but police have not said what their conditions are.
Anyone with information is asked to call cantonal police at +41 27 326 4656.
A group of thieves tunneled their way into an underground vault at Credit Lyonnais in Paris Saturday night 27 March and took off with an unknown amount after nine hours of work, police say. They worked their way from a neighbouring building at the Place de l’Opera into the bank, where they tied up a security guard while they lifted the contents of some 200 private safes. They set fire to the building, which was then flooded by the sprinkler system that was triggered by the fire alarm.
Cars on trains, north-south Kandersteg-Loetschental link
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Snow began falling steadily down to 500 metres in the central Alpine areas in Switzerland, Monday evening 28 December, adding to travelers’ slowdowns that started over the weekend. Saturday was the annual heavy car traffic day in Swiss resort areas, with day skiers joining people who were starting or ending weekly rentals during the highest period of the year, Christmas to New Year’s.
Lines of cars several kilometres long formed Saturday late in the afternoon, coming down from Swiss ski resorts in canton Bern, mixing with north-south European traffic. The north-south piggyback (cars on trains) shortcut between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, a 15-minute tunnel trip through the Alps, has been moving several trains an hour filled with cars, since Christmas. The wait on Saturday was about 20 minutes, with the system working efficiently.
Sites with current traffic data: TCS automobile club, maps (Fre), TSR/swisstxt map and Swiss federal site for truck drivers
Link: Goppenstein train for cars and MeteoSwiss weather forecast for Switzerland
St Gotthard, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The St Gotthard tunnel had a 10km traffic jam most of the day Friday and it is likely to be worse Saturday 18 July, say authorities. The expected heavy holiday traffic heading south was compounded by bad weather, which appears to have led many drivers to take the tunnel instead of the mountain pass. Updates from truckinfo
Vesenaz, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Green Party in Geneva and its allies collected over 8,700 signatures required to force a referendum on the construction of a tunnel under the village of Vesenaz, the financing of which was approved by the cantonal parliament in May 2009. The issue will now be put on the ballot in November 2009 at the earliest. Some 30,000 cars a day drive through the village of Vesenaz, on the left bank, to reach Geneva.
St Gotthard tunnel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The road between Lucerne and Chiasso near and including the Gotthard tunnel is closed in both directions because of roadworks, during the nights of 15-19 June from 20:00 to 05:00. Trucks are being held on either side of the tunnel starting at 19:30 and cars are being sent on a detour over the pass.
Swiss road news updates:
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The commune of Collonge-Bellerive has waited many years for the tunnel project that will reduce traffic along a major road into and out of Geneva, Francine de Planta, municipal mayor, has told GenevaLunch.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Green party in Geneva has launched a drive to collect 7,000 signatures before 6 July to oppose the building of a tunnel under the village of Vesenaz. The Greens oppose the project because of its high cost, the fact that it benefits relatively few people, and does not solve the problem of traffic, which is regional, according to a spokesperson.
