- The Air Glaciers helicopter carried four tourists, a mountain guide and a pilot
A tourist helicopter has crashed in the Swiss Alps today, killing three people and injuring another three.
The B3-type helicopter from Air Glaciers, which had four tourists, a mountain guide and the pilot on board, crashed at a landing site on the Petit Combin mountain airfield, in the Swiss canton of Valais, around 9.25am local time.
The tourists and their guide had planned to go heli-skiing, which is off-trail, downhill skiing where the skiers get to the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of via a ski lift.
Police say the helicopter slipped off the summit of the 3,668-metre high mountain onto the north slope for reasons currently unknown.
The nationality of the tourists on board the helicopter is unknown and it has not yet been revealed whether the three people who were killed in the crash were all tourists.
A handout photo made available by the Wallis regional police shows rescue helicopters stand on the mountain landing site of the Petit Combin summit in Valais, Switzerland, April 2, 2024
‘Having reached the summit of a mountain culminating at 3,668 metres above sea level, for a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the aircraft slid down the northern slope,’ Valais Police said in a statement.
Two injured people were quickly treated before being airlifted to hospital in the Wallis cantonal capital Sion. A third person was subsequently also rescued, said the police. The extent of their injuries is not known.
‘The three other occupants of the aircraft were unfortunately found lifeless,’ the statement said.
Seven helicopters were sent to the site as part of the rescue effort.
According to the Swiss weather service, there was moderate wind in the high mountains earlier this morning.
A measuring station at a height of 2735 metres on the nearby Verbier mountain logged an average wind of 15mph and gusts of up to 26mph.
Helicopter owner Air Glaciers, who was also involved in the rescue efforts, told local media: ‘We are deeply shocked by this event. Our thoughts are with the families and relatives of the victims.’
Swiss authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
This comes after a huge avalanche killed three people, including a teenager from the US, in the same canton yesterday.
Shocking video showed the moment the avalanche came down near the Riffelberg area
Authorities warn there is still a risk of avalanche amid ‘hurricane force’ winds in the region
Three bodies were found after the group went missing near Zermatt, home to a popular ski resort in the southern canton of Valais.
A fourth person was found with injuries and flown to a nearby hospital after a dramatic hunt around the area of Riffelberg involving four helicopters.
Some 45 rescuers took part in searches, including eight avalanche dog handlers, 13 rescue specialists, 15 firefighters and local ski instructors.
‘The deceased are a 15-year-old American as well as a man and a woman whose identification has not yet been completed,’ according to a statement on Tuesday morning.
The injured person was a 20-year-old Swiss man, authorities said.
Authorities are warning of the risk of more disasters amid heavy snowfall and ‘hurricane force’ winds in the region.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
