Swiss bus crash kills 28, including 22 children

Rescue workers at the tunnel in Sierre, Switzerland. Credit: Reuters

A bus carrying Belgian tourists has crashed into the wall of a tunnel at Sierre in Switzerland, killing 28 people, 22 of them children.

The bus, transporting 52 people from the Flemish-speaking region, crashed on Tuesday night in the canton of Wallis, which borders Italy, as it was heading back to Belgium from a skiing holiday camp, police said.

Leuven Police Commissioner Marc Vranckix says Belgian parents are still waiting for news following the crash.

Police said the bus, carrying 12-year-old students from two different schools, veered and hit a kerb, then rammed into a concrete wall in the tunnel.

The front of the bus was heavily damaged and blocked people from getting out. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

Rescuers work at the tunnel entrance after a bus crashed in the tunnel, in Sierre, Switzerland. Credit: Press Association

The road was closed in both directions to aid in the rescue. Eight helicopters and a dozen ambulances took victims to hospitals.

Dozens of firefighters and police, 15 doctors and three psychologists were called to the scene.

A government spokesman said a crisis centre had been set up and an emergency number provided for families.