Deadly New Year Bar Fire in Swiss Resort Kills Dozens, Injures Over 100

At least dozens of people were killed and more than 100 others injured after a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana early Thursday as revellers welcomed the New Year, Swiss authorities said.

The blaze broke out shortly before 1:30am local time at the popular Le Constellation bar, triggering panic as people attempted to flee. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with patrons trying to smash windows to escape while others, suffering severe burns, staggered into the street.

Frédéric Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton, said authorities had counted around 40 dead and approximately 115 injured, most of them critically. Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland later said the death toll had risen to 47, though Swiss police said they were unable to immediately confirm a final number.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the incident as “one of the worst tragedies our country has experienced”, announcing that flags would be flown at half-mast for five days in honour of the victims.

Emergency services rushed to the resort, which is due to host the Ski World Cup later this month. Hospitals in the Wallis region quickly reached capacity, forcing authorities to transfer victims to specialist burn units in Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva, as well as hospitals in neighbouring countries. The European Union and France offered medical assistance, and some injured victims were already receiving treatment abroad.

Authorities said the cause of the fire remains under investigation but ruled out an attack. Early reports suggesting an explosion were revised after prosecutors said initial findings indicate the fire caused the explosion, not the reverse. Several witness accounts pointed to sparklers attached to champagne bottles, used during a celebratory display, possibly igniting the blaze after coming too close to the ceiling.

Given Crans-Montana’s international popularity, officials said many victims are likely to be foreign nationals. Italian and French authorities confirmed that citizens from their countries were among the injured and missing. Swiss police warned that identifying all victims could take days or even weeks.

As night fell, hundreds gathered in silence for church services and candlelight vigils near the site, laying flowers and mourning loved ones still unaccounted for. “There are dead and injured, and someone close to us is still missing,” one mourner told AFP. “We have no news.”