Many of the dead are believed to have died instantly when their coach careered into an underpass wall in the canton of Valais, near the border with Italy.
All were among a school party of 52 returning from an Alpine skiing holiday to the villages of Lommel and Heverlee, in the Flemish region of Belgium.
Smashed: The wreckage of the bus which smashed
into an underpass in the Sierre, in the Swiss canton of Valais, killing
28, including 22 childrem
Carnage: Bloodstains can be seen down the side of the wrecked vehicle as it is towed away
A further 24 children were injured in the accident. Helicopters were used to fly many of the worst hurt to hospitals in the Swiss cities of Lausanne and Berne.
Police were today describing the tragedy as the worst road traffic accident in Swiss history.
'It is unprecedented,'said a local police spokesman. 'For reasons as yet unknown, the coach veered straight into a tunnel wall.
'Even experienced rescuers are having trouble coping with what they have seen. The coach is imbedded in wall.'
Injured: Rescuers carry a stretcher to an
emergency helicopter at the entrance of the tunnel. At least 24 are
thought to be injured
Rescue efforts: A rescue helicopter is airborne
as rescue worker stand in front of the entrance to the tunnel the bus
crashed in Sierre early this morning
She added that driving conditions were normal and the two-lane tunnel was not busy with traffic when the accident happened.
Jan Luykx, the Belgian ambassador to Switzerland, said : 'This tragedy will devastate the whole of Belgium. All of the victims came from two villages.
'The scale of the accident is impossible to digest. We are currently focusing on the practical aspects of dealing with this tragedy.'
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