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The Saxetbach is a mountain river south of Interlaken in the
On 27 July 1999, an accident occurred in Saxetbach Gorge (a gorge close to the village of
The survivors were rescued and then questioned by Swiss Police before being released and returned to their hotel at the next morning. Until then they had no idea how many people had died nor the enormity of the disaster. Identifying the dead bodies was a serious problem for the Swiss authorities as the bodies were badly traumatized. Eleven survivors agreed to go to the mortuary to identify the dead, but many victims had to be identified through DNA and dental analysis. Families were desperate to see for themselves what had happened, and
A storm in the distance
an Outside Magazine article about the canyoning accident. Canyons and gorges of Switzerland 1999 floods in Europe 1999 in Switzerland Floods in Switzerland Landforms of the canton of Bern 1999 disasters in Switzerland
Canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
, Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It is a left tributary of the river Lütschine. It flows through the village Saxeten
Saxeten is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
In 1999 it was the site of an incident where 21 tourists and local canyon guides were killed in a flash flood in Saxetenbach ...
and joins the Lütschine in Wilderswil. It forms a narrow ravine, the ''Saxetbach Gorge''.
1999 accident
On 27 July 1999, an accident occurred in Saxetbach Gorge (a gorge close to the village of Saxeten
Saxeten is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
In 1999 it was the site of an incident where 21 tourists and local canyon guides were killed in a flash flood in Saxetenbach ...
) in which 21 young people from Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
died.
Forty-eight people from two coach tour parties had elected an optional side event of canyoning. It was organized by Adventure World, a now defunct company located in Wilderswil, not far from Saxeten. At , flash floods began pouring through the gorge and 21 people within the group were swept to their deaths; 18 were tourists and three were canyon guides. By 7 pm, the stories had hit the world news, and the hotels they were staying in were bombarded with phone calls, but the staff knew only what they saw on television.The survivors were rescued and then questioned by Swiss Police before being released and returned to their hotel at the next morning. Until then they had no idea how many people had died nor the enormity of the disaster. Identifying the dead bodies was a serious problem for the Swiss authorities as the bodies were badly traumatized. Eleven survivors agreed to go to the mortuary to identify the dead, but many victims had to be identified through DNA and dental analysis. Families were desperate to see for themselves what had happened, and
Swissair
Swissair AG/ S.A. (German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne) was the national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and bankruptcy in 2002.
It was formed from a merger between Bal ...
along with Swiss medical services provided meet and greet sessions for families, and also much counseling for those who had been present. Bodies of the dead washed up in Lake Brienz, a popular boating lake, during peak summer tourist season. The bodies were mostly pulled out of the lake by young Dutch tourists who stayed at the nearby campsite. This particular group was going to join an Adventure World rafting or canyoning trip this same day, but decided not to go at the last moment.
Since the incident, the press reported many rumors about what happened. Emergency services claim they sent someone to tell the group of the impending storms, and families of the dead claim that the company should have seen the signs of the weather. Swiss authorities were quick to blame profit-seeking and general negligence as the cause of the accident.
After the disaster, Adventure World went out of business. Their former premises, near the Wilderswil Station, are now occupied by a bank. In 2001, some of the staff at Adventure World were charged in connection with the deaths. A total of six staff members were found guilty of manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
through culpable negligence and given suspended sentences of between two and five months and fined between 4,000 and 7,500 CHF.
References
{{ReflistExternal links
A storm in the distance
an Outside Magazine article about the canyoning accident. Canyons and gorges of Switzerland 1999 floods in Europe 1999 in Switzerland Floods in Switzerland Landforms of the canton of Bern 1999 disasters in Switzerland