Dozens killed, 100 hurt in fire at Swiss ski resort bar
Nearly 40 people died and 115 were injured when a fire broke out in a crowded bar during a New Year’s Eve party in Switzerland’s luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said.
Police said the fire broke out at 1.30am among people celebrating at Le Constellation, a bar in southwestern Switzerland that locals said was popular with young people.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the disaster “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever seen” and said most of the dead were young people.
Last night’s moment of joy turning into tragedy in Crans-Montana was felt across the country and beyond. The Federal Council noted this with deep regret. Their thoughts are with the victims, the injured and their families and offer their deepest condolences.— Guy Parmelin (@ParmelinG) January 1, 2026
The cause of the fire, which was initially reported to be an explosion, has not yet been determined, but officials said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed fire spreading from the building, and witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion as people rushed to get out.
“There were people screaming and people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local Samuel Rapp, who saw the aftermath of the fire.
“They had jackets on their faces; that’s what I saw, nothing else.”
Local cantonal police chief Frederic Gisler said about 40 people were estimated to have died and 115 were injured, many seriously.
He said it was too early to give detailed information about the identities of those killed and injured, but Italian officials said 16 Italians were missing and about a dozen Italians were in hospital.
Two young French women who said they were at the bar told France’s BFM TV that they saw the fire in the club’s basement, which started when a bottle containing “birthday candles” was held too close to the wooden ceiling.
“The fire spread very quickly through the ceiling,” one of the two women, who identified themselves as Emma and Albane, told BFM TV.
The couple said they were able to escape the building by climbing a narrow staircase to the ground floor.
Minutes later, it was said that the fire had reached the ground floor.
BFM showed video of a waiter carrying a champagne bottle with a lit “fountain candle” at the bar, one of many popular ski resorts in Crans-Montana, which has a number of boutiques, luxury hotels and restaurants.
However, the images did not show a fire breaking out.
Local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said an investigation had been launched into the fire at the bar, where Swiss company records showed it was owned by a French couple, but said it was too early to comment on possible security failures.
“There are still many circumstances that need to be clarified… The most likely scenario at the moment is that a large-scale fire causes an explosion,” he said at a press conference.
Witnesses said many of those celebrating at the bar came from different countries, but authorities said it would take time to identify the badly burned bodies.
Italian Ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado told Sky TG24 that local officials told him the fire was started by someone setting off fireworks inside the bar.
Footage taken from outside the street on Thursday morning showed the area where forensic tents were cordoned off behind white curtains set up in front of the bar.
The quiet daylight scene, where small groups of people gathered together, some in tears, some carrying flowers, was a stark contrast to the panic and confusion first responders had encountered hours earlier.
“First responders (firefighters and police officers) arrived at a scene of dramatic chaos,” Stephane Ganzer, chief of security for the canton of Valais, told reporters.
“What was supposed to be a moment of joy on the first day of the year in Crans-Montana turned into a moment of mourning that affected the entire country and much beyond,” Parmelin told X.
with DPA
