CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 others were injured after a fire tore through a crowded bar during New Year’s celebrations in the Swiss Alps early Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze erupted less than two hours after midnight at Crans-Montana, a popular international ski and golf destination, transforming a night of celebration into what officials fear could be one of Switzerland’s worst recent tragedies. The fire broke out at Le Constellation, which was packed with revelers at the time.
Valais canton police commander Frédéric Gisler told a news conference that “several tens of people” were killed. He said efforts are underway to identify victims and notify families, cautioning that it is too early to provide a precise death toll.
“The community is devastated,” Gisler said.
Valais canton attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire, noting that experts have been unable to safely enter the wreckage. She emphasized that there is no indication the incident was the result of an attack.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
Panic and chaos as fire spread
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to evacuate and treat victims, including people from several countries, officials said.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes inside the bar. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they saw a barman carrying a barmaid on his shoulders, holding a lit candle inside a bottle. They said the candle ignited the wooden ceiling, causing flames to spread rapidly before the ceiling collapsed.
One witness described a surge of people desperately trying to escape from a basement nightclub via a narrow staircase and doorway. Another said people smashed windows to flee the fire, while severely injured victims lay outside and panicked parents arrived searching for their children. A young man likened the scene to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Officials said the blaze may have triggered the release of combustible gases, leading to a violent ignition known to firefighters as a flashover or backdraft.
“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.
Hospitals overwhelmed, caution urged
The number of injured quickly overwhelmed medical facilities, with the regional hospital’s intensive care unit and operating rooms reaching capacity, Rénard said. Authorities urged residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain medical resources.
Nestled in the heart of the Valais region, Crans-Montana sits amid snowy peaks and pine forests, with ski runs reaching nearly 3,000 metres. The resort is a regular stop on the World Cup ski circuit and is scheduled to host top men’s and women’s downhill races ahead of the Milan–Cortina Olympics in February. The town is also home to the Crans-sur-Sierre golf club, host of the European Masters each August.
Crans-Montana lies less than five kilometres from Sierre, where 28 people — many of them children — were killed in a bus crash inside a tunnel in 2012.
The tragedy comes 25 years after a New Year’s Eve fire in Volendam, Netherlands, that killed 14 people and injured more than 200 at a café.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed condolences in a social media post, saying the government’s “thoughts go to the victims, to the injured and their relatives.” Thursday marked Parmelin’s first day as president, a role that rotates annually among Switzerland’s seven-member federal council. Out of respect for the victims’ families, he postponed a traditional New Year address to the nation, Swiss broadcasters reported.