Canyon tragedy firm restarts

THE SWISS adventure company at the centre of last month's "canyoning" disaster in which 21 people died has resumed offering canyoning trips.

The website of the Interlaken-based Adventure World firm is offering canyoning alongside a range of other "adrenalin" activities, including sky-diving, river-rafting and rock-climbing.

The news comes as the Swiss authorities revealed that they are putting five more people under investigation over the accident. State police are already investigating for negligent homicide five guides who were with the party. The inquiry will now include two other officials who worked at the Adventure World base and the three directors of the company, police said.

Canyoning involves jumping or abseiling down the steep, rocky sides of a gorge into a white-water river and then bodysurfing along the fast currents.

On 27 July, 45 canyoners on an Adventure World trip were caught in a flash flood in the Saxetenbach near Interlaken. Three guides and 18 trippers were killed. Three Britons were among the dead. Most of the others who died were Australian. The body of one woman is still missing. Questions remain as to why the company's guides ignored thunderstorms upstream.