'Six dead' as coach falls into Swiss ravine

A Swiss tourist coach with 27 people on board plunged into an Alpine ravine near the Great St Bernard Pass in southern Switzerland today.

There was no immediate information on casualties but French-speaking Swiss radio reported six dead.

The bus went out of control and some of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle, Valais cantonal police said.

A police spokesman said the bus rolled over on a steep slope before plunging into a ravine, where it came to a rest in a stream 800 feet below the road.

Some of the passengers were trapped in the bus and could not immediately be reached by some 100 rescuers deployed to the scene.

Rescuers had to lower themselves by rope to reach the bus. Helicopter rescue was not possible because of bad weather conditions.

The bus was based in the Swiss capital, Bern, and was taking passengers to Savona in north west Italy, where they were to board a cruise ship.

It was carrying 24 passengers, two experienced drivers and a hostess.

The Great St Bernard pass is one of the main routes through the western Alps near the borders of France and Italy.