Three people have died after a small single-engine aeroplane crashed in the Swiss Alps, in an area near the mountain resort of Leukerbad in the south-western canton of Valais. All those aboard were killed, and authorities are working to establish their identities. Both federal aviation investigators and a criminal inquiry, led by the Office of the Attorney General of the Confederation alongside Valais cantonal police, have been opened to determine the cause of the crash.

Valais cantonal police said the aircraft struck the northern slope in the Fluhalp area on Tuesday. The plane had taken off from Lugano in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, stopped in Sion, and was heading for Buochs aerodrome in Nidwalden when it went down. Local residents alerted emergency services after spotting smoke rising from the wreckage, prompting a rapid response involving three helicopters and two rescue specialists.