Switzerland: 6 injured in heli ski tour crash

A helicopter carrying tourists to a high-altitude ski run in western Switzerland crashed Thursday, injuring six, the company operating the flight said.

The helicopter pilot and five of the twelve passengers on board suffered light to medium injuries, the director of Heli Suisse, Alex Baechlin, told The Associated Press.

He was unable immediately to provide details such as nationality and ages of those injured.

Baechlin said the crashed happened on the Tsanfleuron glacier - also known as Glacier 3,000 - near the Les Diablerets ski resort 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of the capital Bern.

Heli skiing and sightseeing flights over the Alps are popular at this time of year.

Last week five French nationals died when a private plane crashed in the mountains near Switzerland's southern border with Italy.