Bern toboggan run under investigation after fatal accident

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• The Heimwehfluh toboggan run in the Bernese Oberland is being examined by specialists.
• The run in Matten near Interlaken is still in operation.
• The fact that the run is still open led to a protest action on site on Monday evening.

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Investigations are continuing following the fatal accident on the Heimwehfluh toboggan run in the Bernese Oberland. This also includes technical investigations by the Intercantonal Concordat for Cableways and Ski Lifts (IKSS).

This was announced by the Bern cantonal police on Tuesday in response to an inquiry. The investigation is being led by the regional public prosecutor's office in Oberland. The IKSS is an inspection authority under public law that is also responsible for the safety of special facilities such as toboggan runs.

The run in Matten near Interlaken is still in operation. Initial technical investigations following the accident did not reveal any serious defects that would have necessitated the immediate closure of the run, the police wrote on request.

Railroad still open

The fact that the railroad is still open led to a protest action on site on Monday evening. Relatives of the victim had called for this on Facebook.

A 35-year-old employee of the toboggan run fell off the to boggan during a test run last Friday and suffered fatal injuries. The toboggan came to a standstill in the valley station. The emergency doctor was only able to determine the man's death on site.

The lift operator writes on its website that the exact circumstances of the accident are being clarified in cooperation with the authorities. "Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and everyone who was close to him."

This is not the first fatal accident on the line. In summer 2010, a 26-year-old tourist from Pakistan lost her life. The criminal proceedings against the operator of the ride were later dropped. In 2014, a 16-year-old woman suffered head injuries.