'Several dead' in Swiss shooting

BERN. February 27. KAZINFORM Several people have been killed and seriously injured during a shooting at a factory near the Swiss city of Lucerne, police say.

The incident happened at the Kronospan wood processing plant in the town of Menznau, police said in a statement.

A witness said five people had been killed, according to the Luzerner Zeitung newspaper, but this was not confirmed, BBC reported.

The paper said shooting started in the canteen at around 09:00 (08:00 GMT).

The Swiss police statement said emergency services were on the scene.

Three helicopters had arrived, the Swiss news website 20minutes said.

It said an emergency telephone line had been set up for families of the factory's employees.

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but relatively little gun crime.