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Swiss tourists killed in Swedish traffic accident

View of Kiruna
Kiruna is Sweden's northernmost town known for its iron ore mine and the region attracts tourists scouting for Northern Lights in Sweden's Arctic north. Keystone

At least six Swiss citizens have been killed and one injured in a road accident in northern Sweden.

The Swiss foreign ministryExternal link confirmed reports that the victims were young Swiss men travelling in a minivan near the town of Kiruna in the early hours of Saturday.

The ministry said the local consular centre in the capital, Stockholm, sent a member of the staff to the region to help the families of the victims. It pledged to provide the necessary support for the families and injured person who was flown to a nearby hospital.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis expressed his condolences on behalf of the Swiss government, according to a statement.

The cause of the accident is not clear, but witnesses say the bus was involved in a head-on collision with a truck.

The Swedish mining company Kaunis Iron said that one of its trucks crashed with another vehicle. The company said the bus had skidded to the wrong side of the road before the collision.

Swedish media reported the truck had a full load of iron ore when the collision took place in a curve in bad winter weather with strong winds.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR