Trajically, a 21-year-old female lost control after failing to secure herself properly to a zip wire in Saas-Fee. She was one of a group of six sport science students on a trip to the village of Saas-Fee in the south of the country. She was on a "via ferrata" – a mountain climbing route fitted with cables, ladders and bridges – when the accident happened on Sunday. Local guides said the group had not hired a guide upon entering the via ferrata, which is illegal.

A mountain guide from the Active Dreams Bergführer Weissmies group of Saas-Fee said the students had not hired a guide or taken the necessary precautions before using the zip wire. "They didn't go with a company which is totally illegal," he said. "They went without gear and proper safety measures."

He added that the woman did not have the required mechanism to slow down the zip wire. There are around 20 guides in the village, and a guided visit to a via ferrata costs 80 Swiss francs (£48), he said.

Police spokesman Vincent Favre said the group was using the third in a series of zip wires when the accident happened. "For the zip wire there's a special equipment with wheels equipped with a brake," he said. "For an unknown reason, the young woman decided not to use this equipment. She died instantly."

A helicopter rescue team was sent to the site of the accident but although a number of people tried to revive her, it was already too late.

Serious accidents are incredibly rare in the village, and the news had not affected business, the mountain guide added. More than 100 people had gone across the gorge yesterday, the day after the accident.
"The guide office in Saas-Fee puts around 2000 people through the gorge and we have never had a single incident. It has been a very successful business for the local community."

He added: "It is very, very sad, it's tragic but what touches most of us is that it could so easily have been avoided."