What we know about the Switzerland ski resort fire
Dozens of people died and more than 100 were injured after a fire broke out at a ski resort in southern Switzerland, authorities said.
Police said multiple nationalities were likely involved in the New Year’s Day fire at a bar called Le Constellation in the resort town of Crans-Montana at 01:30 local time (00:30 GMT).
The district attorney said that the incident was considered a fire and that there was no attack.
A helpline has been established for worried families: +41 848 112 117
Here’s what we know so far about the fire.
How many people were killed?
At a press conference on Thursday morning, police said “several dozen” people were estimated to have died in the fire, although it was too early to give an exact number.
The Italian foreign ministry, citing Swiss police, said around 40 people were believed to have died.
Swiss authorities said about 100 people were injured, most with serious burns. Most were taken to Valais hospital, where the intensive care unit was full, according to local officials.
10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene.
District attorney Beatrice Pilloud said efforts were ongoing to identify the victims and return the bodies to the families as soon as possible.
Authorities said people from many countries attended the event. The British embassy in Switzerland announced that it was monitoring the situation but had not been contacted for assistance.
In a statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that consular staff are ready to support affected British citizens.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is unknown, but Ms Pilloud said it was currently being treated as a fire and “there was never any question of an attack”.
Police initially said there was an explosion but later described it as a fire and said it was too early to speculate on the cause.
When asked about reports of explosions, regional security official Stéphane Ganzer said that “it was not the explosion of an explosive device that caused the fire, it was the fire that caused the explosion as it developed and a general fire in the facility.”
Local reports also suggested pyrotechnics may have been involved.
Regional police commander Frédéric Gisler said he first saw smoke coming out of a bar around 01:30 local time, at which point emergency services were called.
Mr. Gisler said the first police officers quickly arrived at the scene, followed by a large contingent of rescue teams being deployed.
What do we know about Le Constellation bar?
Le Constellation is a large bar that has been around for many years in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
According to BBC correspondent Silvia Costeloe, although the resort was quite luxurious, Le Constellation was not very luxurious.
Upstairs there is an area with TV screens where people go to watch football matches. There’s a large bar downstairs where people are probably drinking and dancing.
Although it is not known how many people were there at the time of the fire, it could accommodate up to 300 people and had a small terrace.
The Christmas and New Year holidays are one of the busiest times of the year for Alpine ski resorts, and the bar is likely to be packed with Swiss and tourists celebrating the start of 2026.
