BRUSSELS — Belgium has started a day of national mourning for the 28 people who died in a school bus crash in Switzerland, with solemn music filling the airwaves and official buildings lined with flags at half staff.
As a chilly morning fog lifted, the nation of 11 million began preparing for a minute of silence at 11 a.m. (5 a.m. EST) to mark Tuesday's crash, which ended the lives of 22 children returning from their "snow classes" in the Alps – a traditional rite of passage in Belgium from childhood to the teenage years.
Trains and subways are expected to halt along with other traffic for the minute's tribute.
Swiss police in the canton (state) of Valais said the bodies were being repatriated on three Belgian military planes Friday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
GENEVA (AP) – The bodies of 28 people who died when a Belgian tour bus crashed in a Swiss tunnel have been identified and are being repatriated.
Swiss police in the canton (state) of Valais said the bodies of the 22 children and six adults, including two bus drivers, were being flown back home on three Belgian military planes and are expected to arrive Friday – a national day of mourning for the victims.
The accident – one of the deadliest highway crashes in Swiss history – claimed the lives of 22 Belgians and six Dutch. The cause is unknown and being investigated.
It took "exceptional resources" and reinforcements to finish the gruesome task within two days of Tuesday night's crash inside Tunnel de Geronde near the Swiss town of Sierre, police said.
Eight of the 24 children who were injured returned to Belgium Thursday evening. The rest remain in hospitals – some seriously injured – in the area of Sion, the capital of Valais, and in Lausanne and Bern.
Relatives of the 28 people killed have endured the heartbreaking task of being taken to the morgue to identify the bodies of their loved ones ahead of their repatriation.
The tourist bus carrying 52 people hit a wall less than an hour after heading home from a ski vacation in the Swiss Alps, and came to rest about 1 kilometer (O.6 miles) inside the entrance to the 2.5-kilometer (1.5 miles) tunnel. Investigators have so far determined that it was a modern bus, with two rested drivers and the tunnel was considered safe.
However, Olivier Elsig, prosecutor for Valais, said the crash is being investigated for three possible causes – a technical problem with the bus, a health problem with the driver or human error.
On Thursday evening, hundreds of locals packed Sierre's Holy Cross Church for a memorial Mass held by the Bishop of Valais Norbert Brunner.
As a chilly morning fog lifted, the nation of 11 million began preparing for a minute of silence at 11 a.m. (5 a.m. EST) to mark Tuesday's crash, which ended the lives of 22 children returning from their "snow classes" in the Alps – a traditional rite of passage in Belgium from childhood to the teenage years.
 |
| Image Credit: latimesblogs.latimes.com |
Trains and subways are expected to halt along with other traffic for the minute's tribute.
Swiss police in the canton (state) of Valais said the bodies were being repatriated on three Belgian military planes Friday.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
GENEVA (AP) – The bodies of 28 people who died when a Belgian tour bus crashed in a Swiss tunnel have been identified and are being repatriated.
Swiss police in the canton (state) of Valais said the bodies of the 22 children and six adults, including two bus drivers, were being flown back home on three Belgian military planes and are expected to arrive Friday – a national day of mourning for the victims.
The accident – one of the deadliest highway crashes in Swiss history – claimed the lives of 22 Belgians and six Dutch. The cause is unknown and being investigated.
It took "exceptional resources" and reinforcements to finish the gruesome task within two days of Tuesday night's crash inside Tunnel de Geronde near the Swiss town of Sierre, police said.
Eight of the 24 children who were injured returned to Belgium Thursday evening. The rest remain in hospitals – some seriously injured – in the area of Sion, the capital of Valais, and in Lausanne and Bern.
Relatives of the 28 people killed have endured the heartbreaking task of being taken to the morgue to identify the bodies of their loved ones ahead of their repatriation.
The tourist bus carrying 52 people hit a wall less than an hour after heading home from a ski vacation in the Swiss Alps, and came to rest about 1 kilometer (O.6 miles) inside the entrance to the 2.5-kilometer (1.5 miles) tunnel. Investigators have so far determined that it was a modern bus, with two rested drivers and the tunnel was considered safe.
However, Olivier Elsig, prosecutor for Valais, said the crash is being investigated for three possible causes – a technical problem with the bus, a health problem with the driver or human error.
On Thursday evening, hundreds of locals packed Sierre's Holy Cross Church for a memorial Mass held by the Bishop of Valais Norbert Brunner.
source: Huffingtonpost
Posted in: 
0 comments:
Post a Comment