A small bus carrying a group of tourists has crashed in Norway, leaving four people dead and three seriously injured. The Swiss company Eurobus has confirmed that their vehicle was involved in the incident.

The German driver has been charged by Norwegian police with reckless driving.

Eurobus said in a statement on Tuesday that the 16 passengers were all Swiss residents. The accident happened on the E6 between Mo i Rana and Trondheim, while the bus was travelling back to Switzerland, the company said. 

"We deeply regret the incident and our thoughts are with the the persons concerned and their relatives," Eurobus manager Andreas Meier said in the statement. 

The Norwegian authorities confirmed the deaths of three men and one woman, all aged over 50. A hospital spokesperson, Svein Karlsen, said they believed the passengers are all Swiss retirees. He said that the most seriously injured passenger had been flown to a hospital by air ambulance.

The remaining passengers are also being cared for in hospital.

Altogether 17 people were on board. 

Swiss President Didier Burkhalter also offered his condolences and “deep compassion” for the victims and their families in a statement. The head of the Swiss regional consular center Nordic CountriesExternal link, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden, is also expected to visit the accident site and the organisation is in contact with the Norwegian authorities.

The accident is the most serious bus crash involving Swiss residents in nine years.

Eurobus could not give any details of how the accident occurred. The bus is reported to have veered off the road and crashed into a mountainside.

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