From
the BBC» :
Five dead and dozens injured in coach crash in Swiss Alps
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The coach was carrying dozens of Dutch nationals - Image © Jon Duschletta/EPA/Shutterstock
Five people have died and dozens are injured after a tourist coach crashed in the south-eastern Swiss Alps, police say.
The Dutch tour bus hit a safety barrier in a roadworks area, left the road and overturned between Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region late on Thursday afternoon.
Swiss police said on Friday that the deceased had not yet been identified.
They added that the other 40 people on board the coach - whose injuries ranged from serious to minor - had been transported to hospitals by rescue helicopters and ambulance crews.
The coach reportedly left the Netherlands on Monday and was on a day trip to Switzerland from Austria when the crash happened.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said his thoughts were everyone involved, and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said their hearts went out to everyone affected by "this great tragedy".
Swiss President Guy Parmelin posted on X that he was "deeply shocked" by the incident and offered his "sincere condolences" to the families of the victims.
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A photo released by police showed the coach lying on its side beside a narrow country road - Image © Graubünden cantonal police
Graubünden cantonal police said three people were seriously injured in the incident.
It added that seven helicopters from both Switzerland and Austria had been involved in the rescue effort, alongside fire departments and the Plaiv road rescue service.
Graubünden's public prosecutor's office and police are investigating the circumstances that led to the crash.
Zernez is the entry point for visitors to the Swiss National Park, a vast Alpine reserve stretching more than 100 sq km (40 sq miles) across the mountainous Engadine valley.
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