The coach, which was carrying tourists from eight countries, skidded off the road into a lake near the Raftsundet strait that separates the Norwegian mainland from the Lofoten archipelago, a popular winter destination to watch the northern lights.

Police said the dead were a 43-year-old Frenchman and his 12-year-old son and a 30-year-old man from China.

They said the three had been formally identified but did not release their names, adding that it was too early to say what the cause of the accident on December 26.

Four other passengers were injured.