A couple were killed and their one-year old child seriously injured when the cable car they were travelling on fell on to a wooded cliff in Switzerland.

Police in central Schwyz region say the accident happened Saturday afternoon as the car headed downhill from its top station at Alp Baerlaui. The car came off its cable about 900 metres into its journey and dropped about 30 metres.

The couple sustained fatal injuries in the fall. Police say the baby, which was being carried in a rucksack, was protected from the worst of the impact but still suffered serious injuries.

Police say the cable car is designed for transporting goods and wasn't supposed to carry people. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the accident.

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