GENEVA (AP) — Five people were killed and 40 others injured after a Dutch tour bus crashed into a roadside barrier and overturned in eastern Switzerland, police said.

The bus was carrying 45 people when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon in a construction zone between the villages of Susch and Zernez, in the Alpine canton of Graubuenden.

Emergency crews launched a major rescue operation following the crash. Seven rescue helicopters and 13 ambulance teams were deployed to evacuate the victims, according to police.

Three of the injured remained in serious condition in hospital. Images from the crash site showed emergency workers in fluorescent protective clothing using power saws to cut into the overturned bus during the overnight rescue effort.

Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. Police and prosecutors said there was no indication that another vehicle was involved.

Oad, the travel agency organizing the trip, said it was “deeply shocked and devastated by the tragic bus accident” and expressed its condolences to the victims, their families and everyone affected.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said on X that authorities would conduct a “comprehensive and thorough investigation” into the incident.

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima also expressed their sympathy. In a statement shared on social media, they said their thoughts were with the victims’ relatives, those anxiously awaiting news about loved ones and those who were injured.

SOURCE: Associated Press (AP), September 2026.