A key transalpine tunnel in central Switzerland was closed to road traffic on Wednesday morning after a driver was killed by a truck wheel that came loose.
On Wednesday at 9.15am, a wheel from a semi-trailer vehicle on its way to Göschenen came loose two kilometres before the Gotthard tunnel exit in Göschenen. The wheel rolled onto the oncoming traffic lane and clipped a bus before rebounding and smashing through the windshield of a car behind the truck.
The driver was killed in the accident. According to the police, the victim was a 65-year-old man from Zurich. The bus passengers did not suffer any injuries.
The tunnel was closed for three hours, causing five-kilometre tailbacks in both directions
The 17-kilometre (11-mile) Gotthard tunnel, which runs from Göschenen to Airolo under the famous Gotthard pass, is one of the main thoroughfares through central Switzerland. It links the German-speaking north with the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in the south. A separate, 57-kilometre train line – unveiled in 2016 as the longest in the world – also cuts through the mountain.
In February 2016, Swiss voters gave the go-ahead to build a second road tunnel, to allow for renovations of the existing infrastructure and ensure better connections between north and south.
Opponents had argued that the project was a threat to plans to cap transalpine road traffic and force heavy-weight trucks onto rail.
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