A 16-year-old girl died in the hospital after being struck by a falling branch during the violent Zürich storm that swept through the city on Friday evening, 19 June 2026. Schutz & Rettung Zürich later confirmed she had suffered severe head and shoulder injuries.
It is the city’s only fatality recorded in the storm that injured several others and prompted hundreds of emergency callouts across the canton.
The exact circumstances of the fatal incident and the precise cause of death are being investigated jointly by the Zürich City Police, the Institut für Rechtsmedizin Zürich (forensic medicine institute) and the responsible State Prosecutor’s office.
Read More: Swiss Voters Deliver Defeat To SVP’s Anti-Immigration Agenda
Zürich’s City President Raphael Golta Expressed His Condolences
Zürich’s city president, Raphael Golta, publicly expressed his condolences on 22 June.
“Today’s news of the 16-year-old’s death fills us all with deep sorrow. My thoughts and sympathies are with the young person’s family and loved ones. I wish them strength and comfort with all my heart,” said Golta.
The Zürich Storm moved in from Urdorf shortly after 6pm on Friday, 19 June, and remained over the city for approximately 2 hours, tracking northeast toward Winterthur.
The emergency coordination centre of Schutz & Rettung Zürich and the City Police received the first emergency calls almost immediately as the storm hit.
The fatal incident occurred in Kreis 8, on Feldeggstrasse. A branch broke away from a tree and struck the 16-year-old with severe force. Emergency services attended and treated her on the scene before transporting her to the hospital in critical condition.
She died of her injuries on Saturday 20 June.
Further Casualties, Hundreds Of Emergency Callouts During Zürich Storm
At the Mythenquai in Kreis 2, a popular lakeside promenade, seven people were struck by falling or toppling trees during the storm. Six suffered primarily bruising and contusions. Two required hospital treatment; four were treated at the scene and discharged.
Additionally, one person became trapped inside a building as water levels rose. The Zürich fire brigade was called and successfully rescued the individual.
Authorities have not released the victim’s identity.
The scale of the Zürich storm’s impact across the canton was substantial. Emergency services recorded hundreds of callouts over the course of the evening, for fallen trees, flooded buildings, damaged vehicles and disrupted infrastructure. The full extent of property and structural damage across the canton had not yet been assessed at the time of writing.
