Days of Mourning

On Tuesday evening, what should have been a routine return from a ski vacation in Switzerland for Dutch and Belgian children turned to horror. The bus they were riding in, 52 passengers in all including two bus drivers and four accompanying adults, crashed headlong into the side of a tunnel between Sierre and Sion in the beautiful Valais Alpine region. Twenty-eight persons were killed, 22 of them children aged 10-12. Miraculously, 24 children survived, although some remain in critical condition. More details of the crash can be found here.

More than 200 people were involved in the rescue operation. It took eight hours to clear the scene. There have been reports that the horrified rescuers were greatly traumatized. And it is no wonder why. In spite of the large amounts of daily traffic, tunnel crashes here are relatively rare. But when one occurs, it is considered to be a worst case scenario for rescuers.  Especially when children are involved. Here is a video of some aspects of the rescue operation.

I have travelled that road myself, although not in recent years.  From from first-hand experience, I can testify that the roads and tunnels through Swiss mountains are marvels of engineering.  When there is a rare accident, it is studied in depth and lessons are learned.  If called for, the tunnels are re-engineered to incorporate additional safety features.

Ironically for this bus and its ill-fated passengers, it was one of the tunnel's safety features that proved to be their ultimate undoing.  After veering into the side of the tunnel and careering to the other side, the bus returned to its own lane, travelling along the side of the tunnel until it crashed headlong into a concrete outcropping designed to assist any passengers trapped in the tunnel during an incident make an emergency exit. Although the crash is still under investigation, it appears from video replays of the incident that speed was not a factor and no other vehicle was involved.  The bus, one of a cavalcade of three transporting the children home, was relatively new, well-serviced and equipped with seat belts, which the children were wearing.  There were no problems with either of the other two buses. In fact, there are reports that all arrived home safely, at least some unaware that there was even a problem with the third bus! Swiss authorities were concentrating on three possibilities for the cause of the accident: a technical problem with the bus, a health problem with the driver, or human error.  One report said that statements from the children who survived the crash indicated that the driver might have been attempting to change a DVD at the time.  But nothing is sure yet.

Memorial services were held in Belgium and in Sierre, Switzerland last evening. Today, both Belgium and the Netherlands held official days of mourning. All are aghast. Tragedy may reach out and tap each of us on the shoulder at such times. But we are grateful when it is just a tap and not, as for these many parents, a heart-breaking body blow.  May these little ones and those who accompanied them all rest in peace.