Plane crash in Switzerland kills 3

A small plane crashed near a summer camp in eastern Switzerland on Friday, killing two 14-year-old campers and the pilot at what was to have been an end-of-week celebration, the resort director said.

A third teenager was also seriously injured in the crash of the single-engine plane organized at the Aero-Club of Switzerland camp in the eastern canton of Graubunden, police said.

A 17-year-old female camper was badly hurt in the crash in the eastern canton of the Grisons and the cause was still under investigation, the Swiss News Agency reported.

"When I heard about the terrible accident this morning my world was shattered," camp director Yves Burkhardt told reporters, the Swiss national broadcaster reported on its website Swissinfo.

Burkhardt said that the sightseeing flight at the weekend was to have been a highlight for nearly 200 young people at the holiday camp that had operated without incident for 35 years.

Authorities said the four-seat Piper aircraft was on its second flight of the day and under the control of an experienced pilot, when it crashed in the Diavolezza region around 10 minutes after take-off.

The plane was being used in a flight initiation session organized by Aero-Club Switzerland, its spokesman confirmed.

In all, 192 teenagers aged 14-16 were attending the youth camp, which was due to end Saturday. Over the past 35 years, 5,000 youngsters have attended the annual camp and there have never been any serious accidents, Swissinfo said.

Police said a special trauma team has been sent to care for the other children who at the camp.