Three people die in aircraft crash in canton Valais

Three people die in a light aircraft crash in Valais Keystone-SDA

Three people on board a small aircraft were killed on Tuesday afternoon when it crashed in the Leukerbad region of canton Valais. The victims were still being identified on Wednesday.

The single-engine Cirrus SR22T light aircraft had taken off from Lugano and made a stopover in Sion, according to a statement issued by the Valais cantonal police on Wednesday. It then continued its flight towards Buochs aerodrome in the canton of Nidwalden.

Shortly after 4 pm, for reasons as yet unknown, the aircraft collided with the northern slope in the Fluhalp area near Leukerbad. Members of the public subsequently reported heavy smoke in the region.

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The emergency services from the Valais Cantonal Rescue Organisation (KWRO 144), which had been mobilised, immediately made their way to the scene of the accident with three helicopters and two rescue specialists. On arrival, they could only confirm the deaths of the three people on board the aircraft.

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In addition to the Valais Cantonal Police and the KWRO, the Sion Airport fire brigade, the Swiss Safety Investigation Authority (Sust) and specialists from the Vaud Cantonal Police were deployed to carry out technical security work at the scene of the accident.

Sust has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) is conducting the criminal investigation in cooperation with the Valais Cantonal Police. The investigations by the OAG and Sust are being carried out in parallel and in close coordination.

Over the past ten years, there have been nine aviation accidents in Switzerland involving three or more fatalities, excluding the incident in Leukerbad.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.