A 56-year-old Dutch national is among four foreign cyclists killed in a traffic incident in Tajikistan, the Dutch foreign office confirmed on Sunday evening.

His 58-year-old wife was injured in the crash and is among three other people being treated in hospital. The US embassy in Dushanbe has confirmed two of the other dead were from the US. The fourth is reported to be Swiss.

The driver of the car which crashed into the bikes has been arrested. The 21-year-old man had driven off at high speed after the incident but one of the car’s number plates fell off and he was quickly traced.

According to some reports, another man was shot dead by police and three others are being sought.

A spokesman for the Tajikistan home affairs ministry said the crash appeared to have been an accident but other options, including terrorism and robbery, have not been ruled out.