Tributes paid to 'deeply caring' dad killed in Swiss Alps plane crash

A prominent Welsh businessman has been named as one of three people killed in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps.

Owain Davies, 55, from west Wales, was managing director of engineering firm Amcanu, based in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire.

His son Aron Davies said the family had "suffered an unimaginable loss", describing his father as "driven, determined and someone who simply didn't accept that a problem was too big to solve".

Davies was killed when the Cirrus SR22T crashed high in the mountains near the town of Leukerbad in the southern canton of Valais on Tuesday.

Formal identification of the other two victims is under way, including another Briton who is yet to be named.

Authorities said the plane took off from Sion airport in the Rhône Valley and, for unknown reasons, crashed into a mountain slope about 10 minutes later.

Emergency teams from the Valais Rescue Organisation, police and firefighters were sent to the scene along with three helicopters.

Amcanu announced his death with "profound sadness", describing Davies as "strong-willed, spirited, determined and deeply caring".

The statement also said family was "at the centre of Owain's life".

"He was devoted to his wife Michelle, immensely proud of his children Aron and Ffion, and adored being a grandfather to Oakley and Albie, " it said.

His son Aron described him as "a real character", and said he was "immensely proud of everything he achieved".

"He was my mentor throughout my life, personally and in business, and I know many people at Amcanu will feel that they have lost a mentor too," he said.

The firm was founded by his father, Spencer Davies OBE, in Burry Port in 1975, and he took over the leadership of the business in 2000.

Amcanu noted Davies was "a proud Welshman and Welsh speaker" and had been a trustee of Wales Air Ambulance Charity since 2017.

Earlier in his life, he served for nearly 25 years as a helmsman with Burry Port Lifeboat, the firm said.

The Swiss Transportation Safety Board has started an investigation and the Valais Police and the Office of the Attorney General have launched an inquiry.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it was "providing support to the families of two British nationals who died in Switzerland".

It said officials were in contact with the local authorities.

"Our thoughts remain with the families during this difficult time," it said.

Additional reporting by Antonia Matthews