GENEVA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Three people died on Tuesday after a small single-engine plane crashed in the southwestern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal police said on Wednesday.
The Cirrus SR22T light aircraft collided with the northern slope shortly after 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) Tuesday in the Fluhalp area, near Leukerbad, the police said in a statement.
The Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization dispatched three helicopters and two rescue specialists to the scene of the accident, and the formal identification of the victims is underway, the police added.
The plane took off from Lugano, in the southern canton of Ticino, and made a stopover at the Sion Airport. It then continued its flight towards Buochs Airfield in the central canton of Nidwalden.
An investigation into the accident has been launched.
