A horrific fire tore through a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year's celebrations, claiming at least 40 lives and leaving over 100 people injured. The blaze erupted in the early hours of the morning at Le Constellation bar, a popular spot filled with young partygoers ringing in the new year.
Chaos and Rescue in the Alpine Resort
According to Swiss police, the fire broke out in the basement of the bar. Emergency services launched a massive response, deploying 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances to the scene. The scale of the tragedy overwhelmed local medical facilities, with the nearest major center running out of space in its emergency ward and operating rooms.
To handle the critical cases, three specialized jets airlifted burn victims to Zurich, approximately 90 miles away. Claire Charmet, head of a hospital in Lausanne that received 22 severely burned patients, revealed to Swiss news site 24 heures that most survivors were aged between 16 and 26.
Police commander Frederic Gisler stated that smoke was first spotted around 1:30 a.m., prompting an immediate alarm. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze quickly while attending to the injured. Authorities have ruled out terrorism but are still investigating the exact cause of the fire and a subsequent explosion.
Eyewitnesses Describe a Scene of Panic
Several accounts from survivors and witnesses paint a terrifying picture of the incident. A tourist from New York, who filmed bright orange flames pouring from the bar, told AFP he saw people running and screaming.
Axel, who was present, suggested to Italian media that the fire may have started from sparklers mounted on champagne bottles as part of a show for patrons. "I think there were some ladies, waitresses, with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire," he said.
Alexis Lagger, 18, was walking past the bar with friends when they noticed the smoke and flames. "People were running through the flames. People were using chairs to try to break the windows," he recounted to Swiss broadcaster RTS.
Questions Over Safety and the Victims
The tragedy has raised serious questions about safety standards at the venue. While the Crans-Montana website lists Le Constellation's capacity at 300 people plus 40 on the terrace, witnesses described the basement where the fire began as connected to the ground floor by only a "narrow" staircase.
Wallis's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, contested these allegations, stressing the investigation would determine if all safety standards were met. She declined to comment on whether emergency exits were adequate or if proper procedures were followed for the event.
Given the bar's youthful clientele and the timing during a ski resort New Year, authorities suspect many victims are young and may include foreign nationals. "Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," Commander Gisler confirmed.
As the community reels, hundreds gathered in the freezing night to lay flowers and light candles for the victims. One anonymous woman expressed the anguish of many: "There are dead and injured, and we have someone close to us who is still missing. We have no news of them." The bar owners, identified as a French couple from Corsica, are reported safe but have been unreachable since the tragedy.
