3 Children Remain Critical after Hellish Swiss Crash

A coach bus crashed into the wall of a tunnel in Switzerland, killing 22 children and 6 adults, Belgians and Dutch, returning home from a ski holiday in the Swiss Alps. Photo by BGNES

Three children from the twenty four people who sustained injuries in the crash of a Belgium coach in Switzerland Tuesday evening remain in critical condition.

The three have been transported and are listed in the university hospital in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

The prospects for the other injured are better. They have sustained mostly fractures and have been listed in hospitals near the site of the accident. Doctors say the worst for the survivors is that they know that many of their friends have perished.

All injured have been identified, according to the Belgium Health Ministry. Seven are from the elementary school in Lommel, northeastern Belgium and 17 from the elementary school in Heverlee in the central part of the country.

The dead toll remains at 28 – 22 children and 6 adults, including the 2 drivers of the bus. There are 7 Dutch children among the victims. 52 were on the bus at the time of the crash – 6 adults and 46 children, of whom 10 were Dutch.

The Swiss police are investigating the incident but are yet to establish if it had been caused by a human error or technical failure. Policemen say they have not found any clear reasons for the crash – the drivers took the needed breaks, the bus was in good technical condition, the road was clean and there were no other vehicles involved.

According to a Swiss Prosecutor, the investigation is working on three leads: technical failure, human error, or sudden illness of the driver.

All passengers had seat belts buckled, but the impact had been too strong for them to prevent the 28 casualties.

The two classes of schoolchildren were returning home after a skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps, when their bus crashed into the wall of a tunnel near the town of Sierre. Police, investigating the crash, described the tragedy as "unprecedented".

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