Nearly 40 Killed in Swiss Alps Ski Resort Fire
dpa correspondents
dpa
(TNS)
Geneva — Around 40 people died and more than 100 were injured in a bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during New Year's celebrations, police said on Thursday, as the country struggled to grasp the scale of the tragedy.
Officials released the first confirmed death toll hours after the blaze broke out in the popular holiday town in the south-western Swiss Alps, where flames engulfed the crowded Le Constellation bar around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) as revellers rang in 2026.
Some 115 people were injured, most of them seriously, commander of the Valais police Frédéric Gisler said during a late afternoon press conference. He added that foreign nationals are likely to be among the victims.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, with investigators ruling out an attack.
Crans-Montana, at an altitude of about 1,500 metres and about 100 kilometres east of Geneva, has a large ski area that hosts Ski World Cup races at the end of January. During the holidays, the resort's 2,600 hotel beds and hundreds of holiday apartments are usually fully booked.
Cause unclear
Officials sought to clarify the sequence of events behind the tragedy early Thursday, saying the fire likely triggered an explosion.
"There are several hypotheses, but our main theory is that the entire room caught fire, leading to an explosion," Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said at the press conference.
She stressed that the blast did not appear to have caused the fire but occurred after it had already spread, as authorities moved to dispel early speculation that the blaze could have been an attack.
The prosecutor did not comment on witness accounts suggesting that the fire might have been caused by candles stuck in Champagne bottles or fireworks, citing ongoing investigations.
Asked about safety precautions, Pilloud said it was too early to say whether Le Constellation had the correct number of emergency exits or whether they were functioning properly, adding that the investigation would determine whether safety regulations had been complied with.
She also said authorities were not yet able to confirm how many people were inside the bar at the time of the fire or its authorized maximum capacity.
The venue has in the past said it could accommodate up to 300 people.
"In a matter of seconds, the whole nightclub was on fire. We all ran out screaming and running," two women from France, named as Emma and Albane, told French broadcaster BFMTV, describing a scene of "panic" and a "crowd surge."
Identifying victims to take time
Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais canton, said that identifying the victims is expected to be a lengthy process.
"Unfortunately, identifying the bodies, including those of the injured, may take some time. We have complete confidence in the teams working on the identification," he said.
"We have many seriously injured people, many with severe burns."
"We just met with families. Many are still waiting for information. This is a terrible moment, we are aware of that," said Reynard.
The victims were airlifted by helicopter to several hospitals, including in Sion, Geneva and Lausanne. Italy has also offered to take in the wounded.
Many of those injured are young people, the director of the Lausanne University Hospital told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures.
The clinic has received 22 severely injured patients aged between 16 and 26, Claire Charmet said, adding that treating their burns would take weeks or even months.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who only took office on Thursday, visited the site of the disaster on New Year’s Day, calling it "one of the worst tragedies in the history of this country."
"We are devastated," Parmelin said. "There will be inquiries so that we can find out how this tragedy could have happened. We owe it to the victims to find out the causes."
He thanked neighbouring countries Germany, France and Italy for their offers of assistance.
Crans-Montana is popular with visitors from across Europe and sees some 1 million overnight stays per year, with about 20% of the guests coming from abroad, according to the local tourism authority.
European neighbours express solidarity
Condolences poured in from abroad, with Britain's King Charles III saying he was "appalled" and "greatly saddened."
"It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy," he said in a statement. "Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all those who have so tragically lost their lives and with those who remain in a critical condition in hospital."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also expressed his shock.
"A moment of joy turned to tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The events there have shaken us to the core," Merz wrote on X.
The chancellor extended his condolences to the victims and their families, wishing those injured a speedy recovery.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "France's full solidarity" with the Swiss people and the country's authorities.
"My thoughts are with the bereaved families and the injured," he wrote on X.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said some 15 Italians were among those injured, pledging to visit the site of the tragedy, which is only some 35 kilometres from the Italian border, on Friday.
Rome deployed a civil defence team as well as doctors to Switzerland early on Thursday, while a Milan hospital specializing in the treatment of burns offered to take in patients as well.
According to the civil defence agency, three people were set to be brought to the Milan hospital on Thursday evening.
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