Saxetenbach Gorge

Saxetenbach Gorge is a narrow ravine near Interlaken above Lake Brienz in Switzerland.

1999 Accident

While there are many ravines of this size in Switzerland, Saxetenbach is remembered for the events of July 27, 1999 when a group of tourists canyoning in the ravine were drowned by a flash flood. Twenty-one of them (including fourteen from Australia) were swept to their deaths in the worst disaster to hit the sport.

Two years later, six managers of the (now defunct) adventure company leading the party of tourists were found guilty of negligent manslaughter, essentially a failure to assess risk adequately. Safety procedures across Switzerland were tightened as a result of this accident.