Dozens of people were killed and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire tore through a crowded bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday.
The fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) at a bar called Le Constellation in the southwestern resort, which locals said was popular with teenagers. The blaze, initially reported as an explosion, appeared to be accidental rather than an attack, authorities said.
Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead and about 100 injured, while Italy’s foreign ministry cited information from Swiss police indicating around 40 deaths. Swiss officials declined to give a specific figure, saying identification of victims was still under way.
“There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local Samuel Rapp, who witnessed the aftermath. “They had jackets over their faces.”
Video footage showed ambulances lining the street and helicopters landing to evacuate victims to nearby hospitals and specialist burns units in other Swiss cities. Authorities said patients were taken to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
Two young French women who said they were inside the bar told France’s BFM TV that the fire began in the basement after a bottle with lit “birthday candles” was held too close to a wooden ceiling. The flames spread rapidly across the ceiling, they said, before reaching the ground floor minutes later.
Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, said local authorities told him the blaze may have been triggered by someone setting off a firework inside the bar, igniting the ceiling. He said many Italians were in Crans-Montana seeking information about missing relatives or friends, though there was no immediate confirmation of Italian victims.
Witnesses described injured people being treated at improvised triage centres set up in nearby premises, including another bar and a bank branch. Many suffered burns and shock after fleeing into freezing night temperatures.
On Thursday morning, the area around the bar was cordoned off with forensic tents erected behind white screens. Hundreds of emergency personnel were deployed, with authorities imposing a no-fly zone over the resort and mobilising 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances.
“The first responders arrived at a scene of chaos,” said Stephane Ganzer, head of security for Valais canton. Cantonal police chief Frederic Gisler said most of the injured were in serious condition and that identifying badly burned bodies would take time.
A full investigation has been opened, prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said, adding that authorities were treating the incident as a fire and not an attack. Swiss company records show the bar was owned by a French couple.
Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin expressed shock and offered condolences, saying what was meant to be a moment of joy had turned into nationwide mourning.
Authorities said a helpline had been opened for relatives as forensic teams worked to identify victims and return bodies to their families.
