GENEVA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- A train derailed early Monday in the southwestern Swiss canton of Valais, with several people likely injured, said the Valais police.
In a social media post, local police said the derailment occurred at around 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) near Goppenstein, and more information would follow as it became available.
According to local media, the train, with around 80 people on board, was heading towards Brig when it derailed.
The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and the Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon Railway have announced a service disruption between Goppenstein and Brig. "The reason is an avalanche," the SBB wrote on its website.
The line is currently closed and is expected to remain so until Tuesday morning, the SBB said.
Fresh snowfall and storms have resulted in a large amount of wind-drifted snow in Valais. Avalanches can be easily triggered or occur spontaneously in this fresh and wind-drifted snow, according to the latest bulletin from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF. ■