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Graubünden cantonal police reported that several people died and several others were injured when a travel coach overturned on a mountain road between the villages of Susch and Zernez in eastern Switzerland on Thursday. Emergency response teams including helicopters, ambulances and firefighters were dispatched to the site in the Engadine valley, where television footage showed the vehicle lying on its side on an embankment. The crash occurred near the entrance to the Swiss National Park, a rugged Alpine reserve spanning more than 100 square kilometres that serves as a popular starting point for tourists exploring the region, according to local media accounts.
A spokeswoman for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies, speaking on behalf of tour operator OAD, confirmed to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that the vehicle carried 48 Dutch passengers on a trip that had begun in the Netherlands on Monday and was bound for Austria with a stop in Switzerland. “These are Dutch customers of OAD. We cannot yet say how many people have been killed or injured,” the spokeswoman told the newspaper, adding that she was deeply saddened by the incident. Reuters reported that it was unable to immediately reach the association for further comment as details remained limited in the hours after the crash.
Euronews reported that police confirmed via a post on X that the incident had taken place but released no specific toll, nationalities beyond the Dutch passengers or explanation for why the coach left the road. Il Sole 24 Ore cited Swiss media in reporting that five helicopters had landed at the scene to assist with rescue operations alongside ground crews. The investigation into the precise circumstances of the accident was ongoing, police stated, with no immediate indication of the cause on the scenic but winding Alpine route.
Road safety data from the Swiss Federal Roads Office has consistently placed Switzerland among European countries with lower fatality rates, recording 213 road deaths nationwide in 2024, many of them involving vehicles in mountainous terrain where conditions can change rapidly. Previous coach accidents in the Alps, though infrequent, have often prompted reviews of tour operator protocols and vehicle maintenance standards across the region. The Graubünden canton, which encompasses popular winter sports and summer hiking areas, sees heavy tourist traffic that peaks during transitional seasons such as early autumn.
Swiss broadcasters showed emergency crews working around the overturned coach as authorities worked to identify all those on board and notify families. The tour group had been en route through one of Switzerland’s most scenic valleys when the vehicle overturned, according to multiple reports from the scene. Police have not yet issued an updated casualty breakdown or any preliminary findings on factors such as weather, road conditions or mechanical issues.
The Swiss National Park, established in 1914 as the country’s only national park, draws visitors for its unspoiled landscapes and wildlife, according to park administration figures that place annual footfall in the tens of thousands. Thursday’s crash has drawn renewed attention to safety on the narrow roads that thread through the Engadine, where coaches regularly transport international groups between Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Officials have pledged a full inquiry that will examine all available evidence including vehicle data recorders and witness statements from the area.
