Sri Lankan tourist drowns on holiday in Switzerland
Drei Weieren is a popular recreational spot in the centre of St Gallen.
Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
A 22-year-old Sri Lankan man drowned in a pond on Tuesday in the northeastern Swiss city of St Gallen.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-Keystone/ac
The police were alerted at around 7:30 pm on Tuesday evening that a man who entered the Drei Weieren (Three Ponds, in German) did not resurface.
Several dozen swimmers in the water immediately began a search for the tourist. An off-duty lifeguard who happened to be present also took part and coordinated the operation until the arrival of the emergency rescue team. A short while afterwards, the first divers of the St Gallen city police arrived.
Unfortunately, the man could only be recovered lifeless after about 30 minutes. He was found about six meters from the shore at a depth of 3-4 meters. According to preliminary findings, he did not know how to swim and had entered the pond alone.
External Content
The scene of the accident was closed off for about two hours. In addition to the St Gallen city police, the St Gallen cantonal police, the St Gallen professional fire brigade and the St Gallen emergency rescue team took part in the search operation. The exact circumstances of the drowning are being investigated by the public prosecutor’s office and the St Gallen city police.
A total of 37 people drowned in Switzerland in 2018 (statistics up October 8 only) and 41 in 2017.
More
More
What happens when you die on holiday in Switzerland?
This content was published on
A fall on a hiking path or a sudden heart attack could bring your Swiss holiday to an abrupt end. What next?
Swiss army identifies gaps in civil aircraft collision warning system
This content was published on
The Cyber-Defence Campus of the Swiss defence ministry has found two vulnerabilities in the collision warning system for civil aviation.
Swiss parents rely on savings accounts for their children instead of investment funds
This content was published on
According to the survey, over 60% of parents start saving in the first year of life, and around 10% even before the child is born.
Half the Swiss army’s M113 armoured vehicles rehabilitated
This content was published on
Half of the Swiss army's 248 M113 grenadier armoured vehicles are back on the road after being temporarily decommisioned.
Voters in Zurich reject pay rise for local politicians
This content was published on
Local parliamentarians in Zurich will not receive a pay hike after 53.2% of voters in the city came out against the plan on Sunday.
Minimum wage narrowly rejected in canton Basel Country
This content was published on
The Unia trade union initiative had called for a minimum wage of CHF22 ($24.20) per hour for all employees working in the canton.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss national football player likely died from asphyxia
This content was published on
Cause of death of Florijana Ismaili, the Swiss footballer who died after jumping into Lake Como, was asphyxia, autopsy results say.
Sri Lankan unable to pay fine dies in Swiss prison custody
This content was published on
A 42-year-old Sri Lankan man died in a detention centre in Lucerne. He had to spend two days in custody because he was unable to pay a fine.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.