A train derailed near Goppenstein on Monday after being struck by an avalanche, injuring five people, Swiss police said. The incident comes as large areas of the western Alps remain under category 5 avalanche warnings, the highest level, after a week of heavy snowfall and unstable snow conditions.
The derailment follows a series of deadly avalanches over the weekend. In Val d'Isère, two British skiers and a French national were killed, while another avalanche on the Italian side of Mont Blanc claimed the lives of two more skiers. Officials say fresh snow, high winds, and weak internal layers of snow have created exceptionally dangerous conditions along the Alpine crescent stretching across France, Switzerland, and Austria.
Alpine Rescue experts warn that even the passage of a single skier or the natural weight of snow can trigger avalanches in such conditions. Grade 5 warnings, considered "extraordinary" and rare, signal that extremely large natural avalanches are possible and pose a serious risk to valley roads and settlements. Authorities have urged skiers and mountaineers to avoid all but fully safe slopes until conditions improve...