Train Derails in Switzerland Amid Storm

(AP) — Several people have been injured after a train derailed in Switzerland amid gusty winds.

Rene Mueller, who heads the small town of Lenk, south of Bern, was quoted by local media as saying that the train went off the tracks Wednesday because of the storm. Further details were not immediately available.

Switzerland has been hit hard by a winter storm heading across western Europe leading to power outages, blocked roads and flooding across the Alpine country.

Several flights to Zurich and Basel airports were canceled and many ski lifts in vacation resorts stopped their service because of the storm.

In neighboring Austria, a ski-jumping practice in Innsbruck was cancelled due to the strong winds, snowfall and fog.

Meanwhile in France, the interior ministry said the weather had caused the death of one skier in the Alps and left 15 others injured across the country.

The skier, who has not been named, died in the resort of Morillon in Haute-Savoie after being hit by a tree during a violent windstorm.

The winds reached speeds above 100 mph on Wednesday, leaving four of the injured in "serious condition," the ministry said.

Emergency services have made 4,300 incidents amid some of the worst winds to hit France in years.

In the Paris region, a falling tree hit a car and seriously injured one person, while another resident was seriously hurt falling from a building.

In the Eure-et-Loir, a motorcyclist hit a tree that had been uprooted and fell into the road. In the east, a woman was seriously injured after an object hit her in the head.

First responders have made 3,250 interventions related to some of the worst winds to hit France in years.

Britain and Ireland were also battered by the severe storm. Packing winds of up to 100 mph, the storm left tens of thousands of households in Britain and Ireland without power, and also led to some bridge and road closures.

Extremely high tides also caused the partial collapse of a harbor wall in Cornwall in southwestern Britain.

Forecasters said gusts of up to 80 mph are possible Wednesday.

Thousands of households at Lake Zurich were left without power because of the storm and firefighters received repeated calls to help with toppled trees blocking streets and flooding due to heavy rains.

Local media reported that at least 11 flights were canceled while several others were rerouted to other airports.

Online news site 20Minuten reported that a truck was toppled over on a highway near Emmen.

[gallery type="slideshow" size="medium" ids="385385,385384,385383,385382,385381,385380,385379,385378,385375"]

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit