The Foreign Office has confirmed it is supporting the families of two British nationals who died alongside a third person when a light aircraft crashed in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, the department said officials are in contact with local authorities and added that their thoughts remain with the families.

According to Valais cantonal police, the aircraft collided with the northern slope of a mountain in the Fluhalp area, close to the resort town of Leukerbad, shortly after 4pm for reasons that have not yet been determined.

The aircraft, a Cirrus SR22T, had originally taken off from Lugano in the canton of Ticino before making an intermediate stopover at Sion airport in the Rhône Valley. It was flying towards the Buochs aerodrome in Nidwalden when it came down roughly ten minutes into the flight.

Emergency services were alerted after locals reported smoke rising from the wreckage. A coordinated rescue response was deployed to the high alpine terrain, involving three helicopters, two rescue specialists, regional police, and local firefighters from the Valais Rescue Organisation.

Police Cantonale Valaisanne released a photograph showing emergency personnel working among the wreckage scattered across the mountainside. Authorities confirmed that all three people on board were killed, and the formal identification process remains under way.

A technical and operational safety investigation is being conducted by federal authorities alongside the Swiss Transportation Safety Board, while a joint inquiry is also being led by the Valais cantonal police and the Office of the Attorney General of the Confederation.

I will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as further findings from the investigation are made public.