Five people who were inside a construction site lift that plummeted 20m (66ft) before crashing into the ground in Sweden have died, officials said.

The authorities had previously only reported that the occupants were seriously injured in the elevator accident in Sundbyberg, a northern suburb of the capital, Stockholm.

The cause of the accident is still unclear and work at the site has been halted.

Gunnar Jonasson, the senior prosecutor in charge, said there is an ongoing preliminary investigation, including by the National Accident Commission, on suspicion of “work environment violations causing the death of another”.

“This is a serious incident that we are now investigating,” he said.

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He added that the authorities are working to identify the victims and contact their relatives.

His brief statement gave no further details.

A spokesman for the lift’s manufacturer told the Aftonbladet newspaper on Monday that that type has been used around the world for more than 20 years, and the company has never been involved in such an incident before.

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