A devastating fire has killed about 40 people and left 115 others injured at a bar in a luxury ski resort in Switzerland, after New Year celebrations turned deadly in the early hours of Thursday, according to Swiss police.
The blaze erupted around 1:30am (00:30 GMT) at Le Constellation, a popular bar located in the heart of the Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana, in the southwestern part of the country.
Police said the venue was packed at the time, with Swiss media outlet Blick reporting that more than 100 people were inside when the fire broke out.
Crans-Montana lies roughly 200 kilometres south of the Swiss capital, Bern, and is a well-known destination for international tourists.
“There has been an explosion of unknown origin,” Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesperson in Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told the AFP news agency.
The exact cause of the fire remains unclear. However, later on Thursday, The Associated Press reported that Swiss officials were describing the incident as an “embrasement generalise”, a French firefighting term used when a fire releases combustible gases that can suddenly ignite, leading to what English-speaking firefighters describe as a flashover or backdraft.
Frederic Gisler, police commander in Valais canton, said approximately 40 people lost their lives while 115 others were injured.
He added that returning victims’ bodies to their families could take several days.
A medical source told broadcaster RTS that hospitals across French-speaking Switzerland were overwhelmed by burn victims.
Regional councillor Mathias Renard said most of those injured were in serious condition, while police confirmed that some of the victims were foreign nationals.
Valais hospital’s intensive care unit has reached full capacity, forcing authorities to transfer patients to other facilities.
Zurich University Hospital confirmed it is treating 12 burn victims, while Lausanne University Hospital said its burns and intensive care units are caring for 22 patients, including a 16-year-old.
Across the border in Italy, Milan’s Niguarda hospital has made its major burns unit available to receive patients. Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland told Italian media that identifying many of the victims could take “weeks” due to the severity of their injuries.
Emergency services responded swiftly after the alarm was raised, deploying 10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and about 150 responders. Police said many of the injured sustained “significant” injuries with severe burns. Most were initially taken to Valais hospital.
Authorities sealed off the area around the bar and imposed a no-fly zone over Crans-Montana as investigations began. Specialist forensic teams from Zurich later arrived at the scene.
“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said.
Despite early speculation, authorities stressed there is currently no indication of arson or sabotage. Beatrice Pilloud, prosecutor-general of Valais canton, told a news conference: “currently we are favouring a fire and at no time is there question of any attack”.
Lathion added that a reception centre and helpline — +41 848 112 117 — have been established to assist affected families. “The intervention is still ongoing,” he said.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the tragedy as a moment of national mourning. “What was meant to be a moment of joy turned, on the first day of the year in Crans-Montana, into mourning that touches the entire country and far beyond,” he wrote in a post on X.
He added, “What was a moment of joy turned into a tragedy in Crans-Montana last night, felt across the country and beyond. The Federal Council has taken note of this with deep dismay. Its thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families and it extends its deepest condolences.”
The fire at Le Constellation is believed to be the deadliest such incident in modern Swiss history. Large-scale fires and explosions are rare in Switzerland.
In June 2024, two people were killed and 11 injured following an explosion in an underground parking garage in northern Switzerland, which police later linked to homemade fireworks.
One of the largest explosions in the country’s history occurred in December 1947 at the Mitholz Ammunition Depot, killing nine people after thousands of tonnes of buried military ammunition detonated.
In another major tragedy, a bomb exploded aboard a Swissair flight bound for Israel in February 1970, killing all 39 passengers and nine crew members. Responsibility for the attack was never officially confirmed.
