Tourist helicopter crash in the Alps kills three as three rescued survivors taken to hospital
Watch chilling footage of a monstrous avalanche sweeping down a Swiss mountain
THREE people have died in a horror tourist helicopter crash in the Swiss Alps.
The terrifying smash happened on the Petit Combin mountain airfield, in the Swiss canton of Valais, around 9.25am local time.
Three people have died and another three survivors were airlifted to hospital, local cops have confirmed.
There were four tourists, a mountain guide and the pilot on board at the time of the crash.
Valais Police are yet to confirm who was killed and who survived when the helicopter, owned by Air Glaciers, slipped down a slope from the summit.
Air Glaciers, which 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 a probe into the crash.
The tourists had been set 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.
Cops said the helicopter slipped off the summit of the 3,668-meter-high mountain onto the north slope.
The reason is currently unknown.
Cops are yet to release the nationality of the tourists who were onboard when the crash happened.
Officers said two people were rescued immediately and raced to hospital and a third was later found alive.
Their conditions are unknown.
The other three people’s bodies were also found, but they were tragically pronounced dead.
Valais Police said in a statement: “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.”
It comes just hours chilling footage of a monstrous avalanche sweeping down a Swiss mountain – killing three – was released.
Terrifying moment deadly avalanche sweeps down Swiss mountain
By JULIANA CRUZ LIMA
THIS is the terrifying moment a monstrous avalanche swept down a Swiss mountain killing a US teen and two adults at a top Alpine ski resort.
Chilling footage shows the deadly wave of ice and snow cascading down from the peaks of the Riffelberg in Switzerland, as horrified skiers watch on from afar.
The rumbling avalanche by the Swiss Alpine ski resort of Zermatt on Easter Monday saw three people killed and another injured, police said.
It took place at about 2pm in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, reportedly above the resort and below the famous Matterhorn.
“It looked to me as if there were several people on the slope at the time of the avalanche,” a horrified witness told local outlet .
It is understood that a 15-year-old from the United States is among those dead, reports.
A man and a woman were also killed, but police have not yet identified them.
Cops gave no further details but said they had no information on the woman’s identity.
A fourth person was found injured and taken to a local hospital following a frantic search for survivors involving four helicopters.
Two of the victims reportedly had an avalanche search device with them, according to Blick.
A spokesperson for police in the southern canton of Valais said it was unclear whether more people could still be missing, with police saying in a brief statement that search operations had been halted for Monday.
Access to the area, which had a lot of snow, was difficult, Valais police said.