Swiss Alps crash: Small child among three killed as small plane goes down near Italian border

A small child was among three people killed when a light aircraft crashed and burst into flames in the Swiss Alps.

The plane, which set off from an airfield in western Switzerland on Sunday morning, had been heading for Italy but crashed less than an hour later.

The incident took place above the Simplon pass, near the Italian border. The bodies of the pilot, a passenger and a young child were pulled from the wreckage. All three are yet to be identified, police from the Swiss canton of Valais have confirmed.

It is currently unclear what may have caused the crash above the pass, a route through the mountains which connects Switzerland and northern Italy at an altitude of 6,578ft above sea level.

The crash came shortly after police confirmed a child was among five people to have died in a crash between a light aircraft and a helicopter on the Spanish island of Majorca.

Three people from the helicopter and two people on the plane were killed in the incident, according to local reports.

Francina Armengol, the president of the Balearic Islands, said she is shocked by the incident and her thoughts are with the victims.

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At least five killed in Majorca crash between helicopter and plane

Both the helicopter and plane narrowly missed separate houses when they hit the ground, according to the local newspaper Diario de Mallorca.

One eyewitness said the “noise of the impact was horrible”, while another said the collision sounded like thunder or a house collapsing.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez released a short statement on the accident on Sunday afternoon.

“My solidarity and affection for the families of the victims who have lost their lives in this tragic accident, including a minor,” he said.

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