A road accident involving a coach carrying Dutch tourists in eastern Switzerland left several people dead and others injured on Thursday, police said. The crash occurred between the communes of Susch and Zernez in the far-eastern canton of Graubünden. Authorities confirmed multiple fatalities but did not immediately provide an exact death toll or details about the circumstances that led to the accident. The incident involved a coach carrying 48 passengers, all of whom were from the Netherlands, according to the Dutch Federation of Travel Agencies (ANVR). The coach belonged to Dutch tour company Oad and was carrying the group as part of a trip through the region, the ANVR told AFP.
According to the organisation, the coach had left the Netherlands on Monday and was travelling from Austria to Switzerland for a day trip when the accident occurred. The information provided by the travel agencies' federation gave an initial account of the passengers and their journey, while Swiss authorities focused on the crash site and the response to those killed and injured. "Several people died in the coach crash in Susch. Several others were also injured," the cantonal police in Graubünden said in a statement posted on X. The force did not immediately provide further information about the victims or the circumstances of the crash.
The accident took place on the route between Susch and Zernez, two communes in the mountainous canton, although authorities had not released details explaining how the coach came to be involved in the incident. A police spokesman told AFP that authorities were deliberately withholding a more detailed casualty figure until the victims' families had been informed. This meant that the initial official statement confirmed several deaths and injuries without specifying the identities of those involved or providing a definitive toll. Authorities were also yet to disclose whether the accident involved any other vehicles or what factors may have contributed to the crash. Investigators were expected to establish those details as the response and inquiry continued.
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The ANVR said the passengers were all Dutch nationals and that the coach was operated by Oad, a tour company from the Netherlands. The group had started its journey in the Netherlands on Monday before travelling through Austria and then taking a day trip into Switzerland. The crash occurred during that Switzerland excursion. The travel agency federation provided the information as authorities worked to determine the full impact of the accident and assist those affected. The accident prompted a response from Swiss emergency and police authorities in the Graubünden region. While police confirmed that several people had died and others had been injured, they did not immediately disclose further details because of the need to notify relatives first.
The cause of the crash also remained unclear in the initial reports. Authorities were continuing to investigate the incident and assess the circumstances surrounding the coach's journey between Susch and Zernez. The crash has raised concerns over the safety of the passengers involved in the organised tour, while families awaited official information about their relatives. The final number of fatalities and injuries was expected to be released once the necessary notifications had been completed. Until then, authorities maintained that several people had died and several others had been injured. Further details about the cause of the accident, the identities of the victims and the condition of those injured were not immediately available as the investigation continued in eastern Switzerland.
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