About 40 people are believed to have been killed and around 100 injured after a fire ripped through a crowded bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials have said.
Swiss police confirmed that “several dozen” people died in the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Many of the victims have not yet been identified due to the severity of their burns.
The fire occurred at about 1.30am local time at Le Constellation, a popular bar and nightclub in the centre of the resort, where more than 100 people were gathered to welcome the new year.
“There has been an explosion of unknown origin,” said Gaëtan Lathion, a police spokesperson in the canton of Valais. “There are several injured and several dead.”
Authorities said arson was not suspected and that the incident was being treated as an accident. Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said investigators were not considering the possibility of an attack but had opened a full inquiry to determine the cause of the fire.
Video footage from the scene showed flames pouring out of the ground-floor bar as music continued to play inside. Screams could be heard, while survivors stood outside in the snow.
Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais canton, said what should have been a moment of celebration had “turned into a nightmare”.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler said emergency services were overwhelmed by the scale of the tragedy. “Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and unfortunately tens of people are presumed dead,” he said.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich. Sion hospital confirmed it had admitted several patients but did not give further details.
Officials said some of the victims were foreign nationals. Stéphane Ganzer, head of security for the canton, said the resort attracts large numbers of tourists at this time of year.
The area around the bar has been sealed off and a no-fly zone imposed over Crans-Montana. A reception centre and helpline have been set up for affected families.
Le Constellation, which opened in 2015, was a well-known venue in the resort and could accommodate up to 300 people indoors, with additional space on a heated terrace. French media reported that the bar was owned by a French couple originally from Corsica. Its social media pages have since been taken down.
Crans-Montana, home to about 10,000 residents, lies in the Swiss Alps around 40 kilometres north of the Matterhorn. Local authorities have urged residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid placing further strain on medical services already stretched by the incident.
