Two Kiwis in Alps death toll of 18

Auckland woman Kelly Swanson-Roe escaped from a wall of water in the Swiss Alps minutes before it swept away her husband of two years and killed at least 18 people, including another New Zealander.

John Roe, aged 30, of Hamilton, was last night missing, feared drowned, after a flash flood swept through a stream near the central alpine resort of Interlaken yesterday.

Unconfirmed reports late last night said a Rotorua man was also killed in the accident. Two other New Zealanders who survived the torrent were Christchurch man Nigel Mitchell and Wellington student John ("JD") Hall.

Kelly Swanson-Roe and her husband were among 44 travellers on a Contiki tour who decided to try the adventure sport of canyoning, which involves swimming and sliding downstream in fast-flowing rivers wearing wetsuits and helmets, and often using ropes.

The accident - caused by a sudden storm which turned a narrow canyon into a raging torrent - shattered the couple's dream of a working holiday in England. They left New Zealand a month ago and were due in London on Saturday.

At least 11 New Zealanders were on the tour, but not all went canyoning, the Auckland manager of Contiki Tours, Dave Salisbury, said last night. He had not heard the fate of three of the New Zealanders.

Kelly Swanson-Roe's mother, Julie Swanson, was flying to London last night to be with her daughter, who left her Auckland sales job two months ago.

Her brother, Glenn Swanson, said his 24-year-old sister was distraught, but the family were still holding out hope Mr Roe had survived.

Kelly Swanson-Roe told her family that she and her husband were split into separate groups, and he was in the water ahead of her when the flood struck.

Mr Swanson said the couple, who had been living in Greenlane, Auckland, met at a Hamilton gym several years ago and were very close.

Mr Roe, who worked at an accessory shop, had been working hard to get an accounting qualification before they left.

"He's always got a smile on his face. He likes a lot of sport and everything, and he gives it 100 per cent."

The New Zealanders were among a group of 52 people, including guides, canyoning on the Saxeten brook near Interlaken, a resort town about 60km southeast of the Swiss capital, Berne.

The accident was discovered around 6 pm (4 am yesterday NZT) by a local jogger, who saw bodies floating into Lake Brienz.

"I saw huge pieces of wood in the water," said Andreas Haesler. "Then I saw bodies - one on its stomach, one on its back. They were all wearing lifejackets but it was clear they were dead," he said.

Another witness said one victim was naked from the waist up, his wetsuit torn off by the force of the water.

Others reported that a sudden storm had turned the normally fast-flowing but shallow brook into a torrent and carried the tourists away.

The brook flows into a stream which turns into the crystal-clear Lake Brienz near the village of Boenigen on the outskirts of Interlaken. Local people said the party should never have set out in the first place because of the storm risk.

"It's awful," said Georg Hoedle, one of the managers of the Swiss-based tour organiser Adventure World. "We have been organising canyoning for six years and until now have had only the occasional broken leg."