Passengers on a train were taken hostage by an armed man and released unharmed Thursday evening in eastern Switzerland, according to the online newspaper 24 Heures and the police.
The hostage taking took place on this train, which linked Yverdon to Sainte-Croix, at the Essert-Sous-Champvent station, a town located half a dozen kilometers from Yverdon, not far from the lake. from Neuchâtel.
According to 24 Hours, a large police force was deployed at this station to try to neutralize the hostage taker who was allegedly armed with an axe.
Detonations heard
According to the Swiss newspaper, access to the station was “prohibited by the police”.
“Lightning and loud bangs took place at 10:18 p.m. local time,” he continues.
An ambulance was then dispatched to the site, before passengers began to exit the train safely around 10:30 p.m.
“Hostage taking in Essert-Sous-Champvent, hostages released, press briefing at 11:45 p.m. (10:45 p.m. GMT),” wrote Vaud canton police spokesperson Jean-Christophe Sauterel on X.
Hostage taking in Essert-Sous-Champvent, hostages released, press briefing at 11:45 p.m. at the Yverdon les Bains Mobile Gendarmerie Center in the presence of the Prosecutor General.
Cantonal police JCh Sauterel
— Vaudoise Police (@Policevaudoise) February 8, 2024
“Our priority is to neutralize this person through negotiation and so that people can return home safe and sound.
All means are being deployed,” Jean-Christophe Sauterel, police spokesperson, told 24 Heures earlier in the evening.