Dutch tour bus overturns in eastern Switzerland, leaving five dead and 40 injured
A coach carrying 45 Dutch tourists overturned into a construction zone between Susch and Zernez on Thursday, prompting a large air and ground rescue operation.
Crash in the Engadine Alpine pass
On Thursday afternoon, a Dutch tour coach carrying 45 adult passengers departed the roadway and overturned between the Alpine villages of Susch and Zernez in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubuenden. The vehicle broke through the roadside barrier area and landed inside an active construction zone along the thoroughfare in the Engadine region. The travel coach was owned and operated by Dutch tour company OAD and was traveling toward Austria, with the route through eastern Switzerland scheduled as a single-day excursion for the tour group. Cantonal police in Graubuenden first issued alerts regarding the incident on social media on Thursday evening as emergency teams secured the area. Local prosecutors in Graubuenden joined police investigators to open a formal technical inquiry into why the bus veered off the road. In Rome, the Italian foreign ministry launched diplomatic checks to verify whether any Italian citizens were aboard the coach.
Rescue deployment and casualty breakdown
Emergency operations centers mobilized a large regional response across the Alpine canton immediately following the crash. Emergency response coordinators dispatched seven rescue helicopters and 13 ambulance crews to reach the remote crash location, extract trapped passengers, and transfer casualties to nearby hospitals. Cantonal police confirmed on Friday that five people were killed in the incident and all 40 remaining passengers sustained injuries. Medical staff reported that three survivors remained hospitalized in serious condition, seven sustained moderate injuries, and 30 suffered minor injuries. Cantonal authorities and forensic specialists continued the formal identification process for the five deceased victims while hospital staff treated the injured survivors.
- Minor injuries
- 30 people
- Moderate injuries
- 7 people
- Fatalities
- 5 people
- Serious condition
- 3 people
- Ambulance crews
- 13 units
- Rescue helicopters
- 7 units
Diplomatic reactions in Switzerland and the Netherlands
The fatal crash prompted immediate official responses from political leaders and the Dutch royal family. Swiss President Guy Parmelin issued a public statement expressing shock and dismay over the incident while offering sincere condolences to the families of the victims. In the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima released a joint message offering support to the bereaved and the surviving travelers.
Our hearts go out to the bereaved, to everyone currently fearing for the fate of their loved ones and to the injured. We stand with you in this great tragedy.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen publicly addressed the tragedy on social media, promising full state assistance to the victims and their families. The Dutch ambassador to Switzerland traveled to the Engadine valley on Friday morning alongside a delegation of representatives from OAD to coordinate consular support on the ground. Tour operator OAD published a formal statement of condolence on its website, confirming that company personnel were assisting survivors and collaborating directly with Swiss authorities on the ground.
