Top chef Benoit Violier found dead in Switzerland

Top chef Benoit Violier, whose restaurant in Switzerland recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead aged 44.

A police statement said Violier was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide in the municipality of Crissier in Lausanne late on Sunday afternoon.

An investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of the death, police said.

Violier's three-Michelin star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier served dishes such as saddle of Pyrenean young lamb and crispy Landes duck foie gras.

Last year it was ranked first on a French government-sponsored list of the world’s top 1,000 restaurants.

PA