Switzerland resort explosion latest news: many feared dead after blast at ski town of Crans-Montana | Switzerland
important events
A police officer is speaking now. He says everyone involved in the operation was “stunned” by this “painful moment”.
He said smoke was seen in the bar at around 1.30am local time and emergency services were called. Fire and police patrols “quickly arrived on scene”.
Fire crews were mobilized from the whole region.
The injured were taken to various hospitals and received treatment.
The chairman of the cantonal council is now speaking out to express his condolences to the victims and “grieving families”.
He says the night was supposed to be a celebration but “turned into a nightmare.”
He said the fire “claimed the lives of many people.”
Police press conference begins
Police chiefs and other officials are about to give an update on the situation. We will broadcast all the details live here.
Police confirm ‘several’ deaths
Police confirmed a number of deaths and injuries in an earlier statement:
“Many people lost their lives and others were injured,” the police statement said, describing the incident as “serious” and adding that “a major emergency response is ongoing.”
“A large number of police, firefighters and rescue teams immediately went to the scene to help the numerous victims,” the statement said.
“The operation is still continuing”
Some reports put the death toll at 10, but these are not confirmed at this time.
Opening summary
An explosion at a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana killed several people and injured others, Swiss police said early Thursday.
Police said about 100 people were in the bar at the time of the explosion.
“An explosion occurred from an unknown location,” Gaetan Lathion, police spokesman in the canton of Wallis in southwestern Switzerland, told AFP. “There are many injured, many dead.”
He said the explosion occurred at around 01.30am (0030 GMT) at Le Constellation, a bar popular with tourists to celebrate the New Year.
“There were over a hundred people in the building and we see a lot of injuries and a lot of dead,” he said.
We expect an update from the Swiss police shortly and will cover developments here.
