By Guy Birchall
Contributing Writer
Dozens have died and at least 115 others have been injured after a fire broke out during New Year’s celebrations at a bar in the Swiss Alps, local police said on Thursday.
The Valais Cantonal Police did not include an exact count of the deceased, saying “around 40” were dead.
“The victims are of various nationalities. Their identification is underway and could take several days, or even several weeks,” police added.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day at the Le Constellation bar in the upscale Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, in the Canton of Valais.
Frédéric Gisler, police commander for the Canton of Valais, told a press conference at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday that all the injured had been treated, per SwissInfo. The injured were taken to various hospitals, including Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich, Gisler said, adding that it was likely that the victims were of different nationalities.
The Italian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, citing information from local police, putting the death toll at “approximately 40,” adding that the “victims are not identifiable due to the severe burns sustained.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that about 16 Italians have been reported missing, while roughly a dozen others are receiving hospital treatment, according to Sky News.
Two French nationals were among the injured, according to an X post from French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pascal Confavreux.
“The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,’” police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion said.
“More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead. We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists.”
Attorney General for the Canton of Valais Beatrice Pilloud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, as experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage, but she added that “at no moment is there a question of any kind of attack.”
Officials labeled the inferno an “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then violently catch ablaze, causing what English-speaking firefighters would term a “flashover” or “backdraft.”
Police have set up a reception center and helpline for impacted families, the spokesperson said.
The area has been completely closed off, with a no-fly zone imposed over the resort, police said in a statement.
The Council of State for the canton of Valais declared a “special situation” in the area at 9 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Crans-Montana, which has a population of 10,000 residents, is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, 25 miles north of the iconic Matterhorn, and 81 miles south of Zurich.
The resort itself sits at an elevation of 4,920 feet, the highest point in the surrounding ski area rising to 9,840 feet.
The municipality was founded only nine years ago, on New Year’s Day 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 2.3 square miles from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
