Three people, including a baby, died on Sunday when a small tourist plane crashed and burst into flames in the Swiss Alps, police said.

The Piper aircraft took off at 09:00 (0700 GMT) from an aerodrome in the western canton of Vaud destined for Italy, but crashed an hour-and-a-half later at an altitude of 2 000m near the Simplon pass.

Rescuers said the pilot and two passengers, including the baby, died.

Police have not yet identified the victims.

An inquiry into the cause of the accident has been launched.