The number of hiking accidents in Switzerland has doubled in 15 years
Keystone-SDA
The number of mountain hiking accidents in Switzerland has doubled over the past 15 years.
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Between 2009 and 2013, just over 4,000 accidents occurred each year in the mountains, the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) said in a press release on Tuesday. Between 2019 and 2023, SUVA recorded an average of 9,000 cases, more than double the number.
In more than eight out of ten accidents, the people involved tripped, slipped, fell or took a wrong step. Most often, these accidents are due to unsuitable equipment, lack of attention or overestimated physical fitness, SUVA said.
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To avoid such incidents, SUVA recommends planning your itinerary, checking the weather and taking paths that are suited to your physical condition.
Between June and September this year, almost 15 people died in Switzerland while hiking. The tragedies occurred mainly in cantons Bern, Valais and Ticino.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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