Three killed in Switzerland in construction scaffolding collapse

Three workers have died after construction scaffolding that they were using collapsed in Switzerland.

A further eight people were injured, four seriously, in the incident in the Swiss town of Prilly, near Lausanne, according to police.

The accident occurred on the construction site of a wooden 19-storey building that is part of a shopping complex. Police said the building is nearly 60 metres high.

Witnesses told the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA that a freight elevator fell down and took the entire scaffolding on the north side of the building with it.

The authorities initially provided no details about the accident or the possible cause.

The police cordoned off the area around the accident site. Firefighters and specialist companies were deployed to secure the remaining scaffolding on the other three sides of the building.