Switzerland gunman kills three in Daillon in Valais

A gunman has opened fire in a village in Switzerland, killing three people and wounding two others, Swiss police say.

The attack happened on Wednesday at around 21:00 (20:00 GMT) in the village of Daillon in Valais canton, 100km (60 miles) east of Geneva.

The gunman had reportedly been drinking heavily before the shooting.

Police dispatched to the scene arrested a suspect who was shot and wounded after he threatened them.

"Three victims died at the scene," said Valais police. "Two other people were wounded and hospitalised."

They had rushed to the village after calls reporting that several people were lying in the street after a spate of gunfire.

Police did not name the arrested man, whom witnesses identified to local media as a 30-year-old Daillon resident.

The gunman was armed with an assault rifle and was thought to have been drinking heavily, Swiss website 20minutes reported.

In addition to the semi-automatic assault rifle that all those serving in the army store at home, there are thousands of hunting rifles and pistols.

Most towns and villages having a shooting club that meets for target practice at least once a week.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in the Swiss capital Berne, says it is believed the weapon used was a standard-issue Swiss army assault rifle.

If this is confirmed, our correspondent says it will call into question Switzerland's relatively liberal gun laws, in which Swiss men, all of whom must serve in the army, keep their guns at home.