The WSL-database of fatalities caused by natural hazard processes comprises all such fatalities from the year 1946 onwards with the aim of obtaining a complete series of all relevant natural hazard processes in Switzerland.
Fatalities due to floods, landslides, debris flows, rockfall, windstorms, lightning strikes, avalanches, earthquakes, ice avalanches and other (less frequent) processes are considered. The data represent the official federal statistics on fatalities due to floods, debris flows, landslides, rockfall and avalanches.
The avalanche deaths are provided by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF on EnviDat, the WSL's environmental data portal. Fatalities of the remaining processes were taken from the Swiss flood and landslide damage database of the WSL and are supplemented by regular media research. The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN finances the data collection; the annual fatalities for the various processes can also be downloaded from EnviDat.
Fatalities in which people have consciously exposed themselves to great danger, or fatalities during leisure activities which are associated with increased risk were not taken into account (e.g. canoeing or river surfing during flood flows, canyoning, mountaineering, climbing, snow touring, off piste-skiing or snowboarding away from open ski trails, unauthorized walking or driving on a blocked traffic route - if not required by profession).