Swiss prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the collision between two airliners that killed 71 people 35,000ft above southern Germany.

Relatives of 45 Russian schoolchildren killed when their holiday jet collided with a cargo plane over southern Germany were today visiting the crash site on the Swiss border.

Rescue workers started seeking counselling today to cope with the horrors of recovering body parts from the midair collision over southern Germany that killed 71 people.

At least 10 people died today when a steamroller tumbled off a truck and crashed onto a passenger bus in central Russia, emergency workers said.