Avalanche Strikes Passenger Train Near Ski Resort in Frightening Video

A tourist’s video captured the harrowing moment when an avalanche slammed into a passenger train traveling through the Swiss Alps near the popular ski resort town of Zermatt. The dramatic incident, which occurred on February 17 in Switzerland’s southern Valais canton, left passengers stranded for hours but resulted in no injuries.

Kirsten Osborne, an Australian woman living in the United Kingdom, recorded the frightening sequence of events as the massive wall of snow barreled down the mountainside toward the train. In the video, a child can be heard saying “uh-oh!” repeatedly as the growing wave of powdery snow rapidly approached the vehicle. Within seconds, the train was completely engulfed in a thick white cloud as the avalanche crashed into it, covering the windows with snow and causing the carriage to shake violently.

“We were stuck for two hours before the rescue and provided bus transport to safety,” Osborne recounted after the incident.

Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, the rail company operating the route, confirmed in a statement that all passengers were safely evacuated in coordination with emergency services. “At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, another avalanche occurred between Täsch and Randa,” the company said. “A regional MGBahn train was struck by a resulting powder-snow avalanche. No one was injured.”

Following the incident, MGBahn suspended operations on the St. Niklaus–Täsch route as a precautionary measure after consulting with local natural hazard specialists. The company also stated they were in “close contact with specialists and experts to assess the situation along the entire route network between Disentis (GR) and Zermatt (VS).”

The avalanche striking the train came during a period of particularly dangerous winter conditions throughout the Swiss Alps. Heavy snowfall has significantly impacted this year’s tourist season across the region, with avalanche risks affecting large areas of the western Alps.

Just a day before this incident, another rail incident occurred near the town of Goppenstein, where a train derailed, resulting in injuries to five passengers. While investigations are ongoing, local reports have suggested that an avalanche might have been a possible cause of that derailment as well.

The Swiss Alps have experienced particularly hazardous conditions this winter. The combination of heavy snowfall and fluctuating temperatures has created unstable snow packs in many areas, increasing the risk of avalanches. Swiss authorities regularly monitor these conditions and issue warnings to both transportation services and tourists.

Zermatt, located at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn peak, is one of Switzerland’s most famous ski destinations, attracting thousands of visitors annually. The area is served by a network of trains and cable cars that provide access to ski slopes and mountain villages. While the Swiss transportation system is renowned for its reliability and safety, natural hazards in Alpine regions present ongoing challenges for operators.

Climate experts have noted that changing weather patterns in recent years have made avalanche prediction more difficult, with more extreme precipitation events creating new risk patterns that differ from historical norms. Swiss avalanche centers have responded by enhancing their monitoring systems and providing more detailed risk assessments to transportation companies and local authorities.

Despite the dramatic nature of this incident, the successful evacuation without injuries demonstrates the effectiveness of emergency protocols in the region, where transportation operators maintain close coordination with rescue services to respond quickly to natural hazards.