6 who died in Sweden road mishap identified as Swiss citizens

The six people who died in a tragic road accident in Sweden on Saturday have been identified as Swiss citizens, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Sunday.

The accident occurred just before 02:00 a.m. on Saturday near the city of Kiruna in northern Sweden when a freight truck collided with a minibus carrying seven people.

Six people perished at the scene, and a seventh with moderate injuries was airlifted to hospital by helicopter. While Swedish police undertook official victim identification, the survivor -- also a Swiss citizen -- was able to name the others travelling in the car.

All the victims were born in the 90s and had been on a ski trip in Norway, according to a press release published by the Swedish police. Out of consideration for the families of the victims, the police have not revealed further details of the crash.

Police have contacted the victims' families. The Swiss Regional Consular Center in Stockholm is in contact with local authorities and has sent an employee to the region to assist the families of the victims.

Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), expresses his deepest sympathy to the relatives of the victims and the injured Swiss on behalf of the Federal Council.