Five people died and 40 were injured when a coach carrying Dutch tourists crashed in the Swiss Alps, police said.

The Dutch tour bus had been travelling from Zernez, in eastern Switzerland, to the nearby village of Susch at about 4.45pm on Thursday when it hit a guardrail and overturned, according to Graubünden cantonal police.

Of the 45 passengers on board, five adults died, police said on Friday morning. They added that three were seriously injured, with seven were moderately injured and 30 lightly. 

Seven rescue helicopters airlifted those on board to various hospitals. The force said it was still working to identify the dead.

The Graubünden public prosecutor’s office has started investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, while police have set up a hotline for those connected to the crash. 

The General Dutch Association of Travel Companies, speaking on behalf of tour operator OAD, confirmed that 48 Dutch passengers had been on the coach.

Frank Radstake, the association’s director, said it was believed the vehicle had veered off the road to avoid a boulder.

He told RTL Nieuws, "The bus driver had to make an evasive manoeuvre, possibly because of a boulder on the road.

“During that manoeuvre, the bus tipped onto its side and slid some distance down the slope.”

Photographs shared by Swiss media showed the tourist coach on its side at the bottom of an embankment.

OAD said in a statement it was “deeply shocked and devastated” by the incident, adding: “We are doing everything in our power to obtain clarity quickly and to support those involved and their families wherever possible.”

It said, "Local authorities are currently fully engaged in relief efforts and in determining the situation and the number of casualties.”

Guy Parmelin, the Swiss president, offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He wrote on X, “I am deeply shocked and dismayed by today’s tragic accident involving a Dutch tour bus in Graubünden.”

A spokesman for the Dutch foreign ministry said, "We are in contact with the Swiss authorities, the tour operator, and the emergency assistance centre to coordinate consular aid as effectively as possible.”

The bus had departed the Netherlands on Monday for a trip through the Alps with Austria as its destination, De Telegraaf newspaper reported.

The crash occurred in a region that is the entry point for visitors to the Swiss national park, a vast Alpine reserve stretching more than 40 square miles across the mountainous Engadine valley.

Source: The Telegraph