Investigation into ICE derailment in Basel still “ongoing”
Two high-speed trains derailed in Switzerland last year - in Basel and Lucerne. The SBB and the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) have yet to break their silence as the investigations are "ongoing". However, there is speculation that the reason for the accident could be the train coaches themselves, said by an investigator to be "stiffly built". The derailment in Basel happened on a Wednesday afternoon about a month ago when a train coming from Germany was arriving at the SBB train station. Passengers reported hearing a “rumbling” sound which lasted about 30 seconds before the train came to a halt at platform 5. Three coaches of the ICE had derailed, causing major disruption to the entire network and a blackout which lasted for hours. The network was back to normal by the weekend – however, the work to recover the derailed carriages and repair the damaged track and switches lasted for several days. Eyewitnesses said the accident could have been caused by one of the switches being in the “wrong position”.
Switches not suitable for the ICE?
Oli Dischoe, a media spokesperson for the SBB, told barfi.ch that no information is currently available regarding the cause of the accident. The SUST team is still investigating the cause, however the SBB wrote in a blog: “The repair works were successful, and SBB workers had to also replace various elements of the switches. One switch had to be completely replaced.” The SUST has published a preliminary report which only summarises that “infrastructure was severely damaged” and said there was “considerable damage caused to the derailed coaches”. Half a year before the accident in Basel, several coaches of an ICE train derailed in Dortmund. An investigation by the German Federal Railway Authority remains open and is focussed on the switches and the trains themselves. The cause could perhaps lie in the interaction between the two.
“Very stiffly built”
Just like in Dortmund, there were no “obvious reasons for the accident” in Basel such as a forgotten retaining wedge, said Christoph Kupper from SUST. He said it was "extraordinary" that the middle coaches had derailed and not the front coaches. The accident in Basel is similar to an accident in which a Eurocity train on its way to Milan derailed in Lucerne. Since the SUST in Basel is measuring wheels and pivoted bogies, it can be imagined that high-speed trains, which are “very stiffly built”, struggle with the narrow radius of bends and switches at the entrances to train stations and therefore could derail. But this is not yet clear and, according to Christoph Kupper, still a matter of investigation.
Call for witnesses after second robbery at Basel jewellery shop
An elderly woman had to be taken to hospital following a robbery at her jewellery shop in Basel on Wednesday evening. The robbery took place at 7pm at the jewellery and watch shop at Pfluggässlein in Grossbasel. It was the second to take place on Wednesday, following a similar incident at a jeweller in Claraplatz at 3.30pm.
In the first incident, the male owner was alone in his shop when he was approached by a stranger who attacked him with pepper spray before grabbing some jewellery and running off. The police are looking for a man aged between 45-50 years in connection with the robbery.
In the second incident, which happened just a few hours later, the female owner was about to close up for the evening when a couple entered the shop. The woman was attacked with an irritant gas, pushed over and held on the ground.
According to early investigations by the criminal police of the prosecution, one of the attackers then searched the shop. The couple then stole a quantity of jewellery before running off in an unknown direction. Someone in the building heard the owner calling for help and phoned the police. The police launched an immediate search for the couple, which was unsuccessful. The victim, an older woman, suffered numerous injuries and had to be brought to the emergency department at the hospital by ambulance.
Elephant Malayka dies at Basel Zoo
Malayka, the oldest member of the elephant family in the Basel Zoo, died on Wednesday night at the age of 47. She originated from Circus Knie and joined the elephants at the zoo in 1984. Malayka was seen as a pleasant member of the African elephant family. Her main features were her smooth forehead, a hairless tail, and very long slim tusks. Many visitors will remember her for the elephant rides, which took place up until 1992. Although Malayka was the oldest cow elephant of the group, which consists of Maya (24), Rosy (23), and Heri (42), she was not the highest ranked. She didn't get on well with Maya, against whom she felt superior probably because of Maya's lack of tusks. At the end of 2015, Malayka fell several times and could only get up with the help of other elephants. Yesterday afternoon Malayka fell again but could get back onto her feet on her own. A short while later, she collapsed and remained motionless. The other elephants tried to help her to stand up again but Malayka refused. After a few unsuccessful attempts, her female friends gave up and went back into the elephant house. To spare Malayka from longer suffering, the carer team decided to put her to sleep. Zoo Basel staff assume that she died from old age. However, as usual in these cases, the cadaver will be brought to the Institute of Animal Pathology in Bern to determine the exact cause of her death.