Three people died Saturday morning when a tourist plane crashed in the Pont de Martel, in the Swiss mountains near the French border.
The plane crashed on a steep slope in the Neuchâtel mountains, informed Swiss TV channel RTN. A spokesman for the cantonal police confirmed several deaths. It is not yet known exactly how many passengers were on the plane. Rescuers, police and investigators are working at the crash site.
Neuchâtel cantonal police spokesman Georges-André Lozuet declined to give details, noting that law enforcement officials first want to inform the family of the victims about the accident. An official statement will be released later.
The Swiss-registered aircraft was on a tourist flight, Neuchâtel police said on Saturday afternoon. The wreckage of the plane was in a hard-to-reach place, rescue work is difficult. The Neuchâtel Mountains ambulance dispatched two heavy vehicles.
Fifteen professional firefighters, including members of the GRIMP group, as well as two volunteer firefighters from the Pont de Martel, are taking part in the rescue operation. The Neuchâtel police deployed about twenty gendarmes and members of the judicial police.
Investigators from the Swiss Aviation Safety Authority (SESE), the competent authority for establishing the causes of aircraft accidents, went to the scene to draw technical conclusions.
An investigation has been launched to establish the causes and circumstances of the accident, which are still unknown. The weather forecast for Saturday in Neuchâtel was cloudy but without strong winds.
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