Laser blinds rescue helicopter crew during landing in Switzerland
Three crew members of a Swiss air ambulance helicopter suffered minor eye injuries after someone shone a laser at them as they landed in Reinach on Saturday.
Three members of a rescue helicopter crew suffered minor eye injuries after someone aimed a green laser at their aircraft as it came in to land in Reinach, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on Saturday evening, operator Alpine Air Ambulance said.
The helicopter had been called out to an urgent medical emergency when the four-person crew was "strongly blinded" by the laser shortly before touchdown, the company said in a statement. The mission was still completed successfully, but three crew members needed immediate medical treatment afterwards for minor eye injuries.
Alpine Air Ambulance said the attack was especially dangerous because it happened during landing, one of the most critical phases of a flight, when the crew is highly focused and more vulnerable to being blinded. The company said such laser attacks are illegal and carry severe penalties, and that it reports every incident to police.
Police in Aargau launched a search immediately after the incident but made no arrest. An investigation is continuing.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 A green laser was aimed at a rescue helicopter as it landed in Reinach, Switzerland, on Saturday evening.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 Three of the four crew members suffered minor eye injuries and needed treatment.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 The rescue mission was completed successfully despite the attack.
- 2+ outlets · 20 Minuten, Blick +1 Aargau police searched for the person responsible but made no arrest; the case remains open.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
Alpine Air Ambulance said laser attacks on its helicopters have happened before, and warned that targeting aircraft during landing endangers everyone on board, since the crew's attention and vision are most critical at that moment.
Sources
Reported by 3 reports from 3 independent outlets in 1 countries.
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Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- What happened to the helicopter crew?
- Three of the four crew members suffered minor eye injuries after a laser was shone at their helicopter as it landed, the operator said.
- Was the rescue mission affected?
- No, the mission was completed successfully despite the laser attack, Alpine Air Ambulance said.
- Has anyone been arrested?
- No. Police in Aargau searched for the person responsible but made no arrest, and the investigation continues.
This article was written with AI assistance from 3 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.