Five people have been killed and 40 others injured after a tourist coach carrying Dutch nationals crashed in the Swiss Alps, according to Swiss police.
The coach struck a safety barrier at a roadworks area before leaving the road and overturning between Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region on Thursday afternoon.
Police said the identities of the five people who died had not yet been established.
The 40 other passengers were taken to hospitals by rescue helicopters and ambulances, with their injuries ranging from minor to serious.
The coach had reportedly departed the Netherlands on Monday and was travelling on a day trip to Switzerland from Austria when the crash occurred.
Graubünden cantonal police said three of the injured passengers were seriously hurt. Seven helicopters from Switzerland and Austria, as well as firefighters and road rescue teams, took part in the emergency operation.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten expressed his sympathy for those affected, while King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said their hearts went out to everyone affected by “this great tragedy”.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident and offered his “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims.
The Graubünden public prosecutor’s office and cantonal police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Zernez, where the route is located, serves as an entry point to the Swiss National Park in the mountainous Engadine valley.
