Among the three who died when a small aircraft crashed into a mountainside in the Swiss Alps were two British nationals, authorities said.
Tuesday afternoon, the single-engine Cirrus SR22T was found to have crashed in the Fluhalp area near Leukerbad, canton of Valais. Police said the plane hit the north side of a mountain, for reasons not known.
It was originally flying from Lugano in southern Switzerland to Buochs in the canton of Nidwalden and had been diverted to Sion Airport. It crashed about 10 minutes after take-off from Sion (around 16:00 local time).
Witnesses saw smoke coming up from the mountainside, calling for an emergency response. Rescue specialists, fire fighters and police were dispatched to the area, as were three helicopters.
There were three fatalities in the crash. It is still in the process of formally identifying victims, Swiss authorities said.
Two British nationals were among the dead, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, adding that it was assisting their families and liaising with local authorities.
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board has launched an investigation into the accident. The Office of the Attorney General of the Confederation is in the midst of a separate criminal investigation, in collaboration with the Valais cantonal police.
The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined.
