Around 40 dead in Swiss ski resort bar fire, police say

A fire broke out in a bar at a ski resort in southern Switzerland, killing about 40 people, police said. A further 115 people were injured, many of them “seriously.”

The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. (GMT) during New Year’s celebrations at a bar called Le Constellation in Crans-Montana.

Officials investigating the incident have not confirmed any cause but have clearly ruled out an attack.

People from many countries were affected. Regional police commander Frédéric Gisler said the top priority over the next few days was to identify the dead and quickly deliver their bodies to their families.

13 helicopters, 42 ambulances, and 150 emergency responders were deployed to the fire scene in the Valais region, a popular tourist destination, overnight.

Most of the injured suffered severe burns and 60 people were taken to Sion hospital in Valais, many of them in critical condition, regional governor Mathias Reynard said.

Intensive care units were full and Reynard said the community had to take special care to avoid people needing hospital treatment unnecessarily.

“We are painfully aware that it may still take too long for the families involved to identify the bodies and injured people,” Reynard added.

Some people were taken to hospitals in other Swiss cities, including Lausanne and Zurich, which have specialized burn units.

A spokesperson for Lausanne University Hospital said it was treating 22 burn patients, while Zurich University Hospital said it was treating 12 burn patients.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry told the BBC that 16 Italian nationals are currently missing and between 12 and 15 are receiving treatment in hospital.

French media reported that at least two of the injured were French nationals.

Three Italians were being taken to Milan’s Niguarda hospital, which has a major burns unit, Italian lawmaker Guido Bertolaso ​​said.

He told reporters he suffered burns on “30 to 40 percent of his body” and was still intubated, but “the fact that he can move is a good sign.”

The exact number of dead and injured is not yet known, nor are their nationalities, but officials confirmed multiple nationalities were involved.

Officials said at a news conference Thursday evening that they did not know how many people were in the bar when the fire broke out.

State lawmaker Stéphane Ganzer described the bar as having a “young, festive population” during New Year’s Eve parties.

Justice Minister Beatrice Pilloud said an investigation was underway “to determine the circumstances that led to this dramatic situation.”

She was asked by reporters at the press conference about rumors that a champagne bottle containing flares may have been the cause of the fire and that the stairs were “very narrow.”

She responded that she could not confirm anything while the investigation was ongoing.

Mr Pilloud said the stairs appeared narrow but an inspection would be carried out to assess whether they met requirements.

She said “several hypotheses” had been put forward about the cause of the fire, but the most preferred theory was a “conflagration” – a “large-scale fire causing significant damage” – rather than an explosion.

She said several witnesses were interviewed and cell phones were also recovered for analysis.

“There is no question of any attack,” she said.

Mr Pilloud said work was underway to identify the victims and return their bodies to their families as quickly as possible. “There is important work to be done to make this happen, and this important work will require area closures.”

Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, said it would take several weeks to identify the dead.

A helpline has been set up for families: +41 848 112 117

The fire was “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin told reporters.

Local residents gathered to remember the dead and injured at a vigil at Montana Station Church on Thursday evening, and wreaths of flowers were placed near the fire site.

Crans Montana is a luxury ski resort that was famous as a World Cup ski venue in the 1980s.

In operation for decades, Le Constellation has a TV screen upstairs where people can watch football matches, and a large bar downstairs where you can have a drink and dance.

Britain’s Foreign Office said its “thoughts are with all those injured and killed in the terrible tragedy” and that consular staff were standing by to provide support to affected British nationals.

Prince Charles said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “deeply saddened” to hear of the fire. “It is truly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and their families has turned into a nightmarish tragedy.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said France was welcoming injured people from Crans-Montana to hospitals.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was cooperating with Swiss authorities to provide medical assistance to victims through a civil protection mechanism.