Six confirmed dead in bus crash

At least six people were killed when a Swiss tourist bus carrying 27 people plunged into an Alpine ravine near the Great St Bernard Pass today.

Valais cantonal police said some of the passengers were thrown from the bus when it went out of control and rolled down a steep slope. It then dropped into the ravine and came to rest in a stream 800ft below the road, police spokesman Renato Kalbermatten said.

Jean-Marie Bornet, a spokesman for Valais cantonal police, would only say that there were more than six dead. German-speaking Swiss television reported at least nine dead.

Swiss radio DRS said about a dozen people were saved by being thrown clear of the bus before it went into the ravine.

At least a dozen ambulances stood by while a 100 strong team of mountain guides and climbers used ropes to lower themselves to the bus, he said.

Some of the passengers were trapped and could not immediately be reached, officials said.

It had been snowing in the area, but by the time rescuers arrived at the scene the road was only wet, said Kalbermatten. But there might have been snow on the road when the accident occurred, he said.

The bus was based in the Swiss capital, Bern, and was taking passengers to Savona in northwest Italy, where they were to board a cruise ship, said Heinrich Marti, manager of the bus company.

There were 24 passengers, two experienced drivers and a hostess on board, Marti said. The bus left its base near Bern at 6am local time (4am Irish time) and picked up more passengers at stops along the way. The accident occurred before 10am local time (8am Irish time).

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