CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Dozens of people are feared dead, and around 100 others were injured after a massive fire tore through a crowded bar during New Year’s celebrations at the Swiss Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana early Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze erupted less than two hours after midnight at Le Constellation bar, transforming what had been a festive gathering into what officials described as one of the most devastating tragedies in Switzerland in recent years.
Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler told reporters that “several tens of people” were presumed killed. However, authorities cautioned that an exact death toll could not yet be confirmed as victim identification and notifications of families are still ongoing.
“That will take time and for the time being, it is premature to give you a more precise figure,” Gisler said, adding that the local community is “devastated” by the incident.
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 heavily damaged structure. She stressed that authorities have ruled out any malicious intent.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
Emergency response teams, including helicopters and ambulances, were dispatched to the scene to transport victims, some of whom are believed to be foreign nationals, according to officials.
Witnesses told French broadcaster BFMTV that moments before the fire, a male bartender lifted a female bartender onto his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames allegedly spread rapidly, causing the wooden ceiling to collapse.
One witness described a deadly crowd surge as patrons attempted to flee from a basement nightclub via a narrow staircase and doorway. Another recounted scenes of people smashing windows to escape, with some suffering severe injuries, while frantic parents rushed to the area to check on their children. A witness likened the unfolding scene to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Fire officials said the blaze may have caused the release of combustible gases, triggering a violent ignition known among 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 Reynard, head of the regional government of Valais Canton.
Hospitals in the region were quickly overwhelmed. Reynard said the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital reached full capacity due to the number of injured.
Authorities urged residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days, noting that medical resources remain stretched in the tourist-heavy region, which is currently busy with ski season activities.
Crans-Montana, located less than five kilometers from Sierre—site of a deadly 2012 bus crash that killed 28 people—is internationally known for hosting major ski and golf events. The resort is scheduled to host World Cup downhill races ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.
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 in office as Switzerland’s rotating president. Out of respect for the victims’ families, he postponed a traditional New Year’s address originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon, according to Swiss broadcasters SRF and RTS.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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