A tourist coach has crashed in the south-eastern Swiss Alps, killing several people and injuring others, local police have said.

The bus overturned late on Thursday afternoon on a road between Susch and Zernez, in the Graubünden region, also known as Grisons.

A large team of rescuers equipped with several helicopters was deployed to the scene. Images from Swiss news sites show the coach lying on its side beside a narrow country road, with numerous ambulances present and groups of rescuers working at the scene.

Some 48 Dutch passengers were on board, according to a spokeswoman for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies, speaking on behalf of tour operator OAD.

The spokeswoman told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that authorities could not yet confirm how many people had been killed or injured.

The coach reportedly left the Netherlands on Monday and was on a day trip to Switzerland from Austria when the crash occurred.

Zernez is the entry point for visitors to the Swiss National Park, a vast Alpine reserve stretching more than 100 square kilometres across the mountainous Engadine valley.