Swiss ski resort bar fire could kill dozens

A fire at a bar in a southern Swiss ski resort is thought to have killed dozens of people and injured about 100, officials said.

Police said the fire broke out at around 1:30 am (00:30 GMT) during New Year’s celebrations at Le Constellation, a bar in Crans-Montana.

Swiss authorities said people from several countries were affected and “extensive work” was needed to identify the victims and return the bodies to their families.

Officials investigating the incident did not mention any cause but flatly ruled out the possibility of an attack.

Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 emergency personnel were dispatched overnight to the fire in the Valais region, which is popular with tourists.

Most of the injured suffered severe burns and were taken to Valais cantonal hospitals, Mathias Reynard, leader of the region’s parliament, told a press conference on Thursday morning.

Its intensive care units are full and Renard said local communities must take extra care to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.

Some people were taken to hospitals with specialized burns wards in Lausanne and Zurich.

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

Details are still emerging, and it is not yet clear how many people were killed or injured, their nationalities, the cause of the fire or how many people were inside the bar. However, officials confirmed that multiple nationalities were involved.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that information provided by Swiss police showed that about 40 people died.

Police said at a news conference that “dozens” of people were estimated to have died, but did not give a more precise figure in response to media questions.

Local media reported earlier on Thursday that the incident may have been caused by fireworks, although this has not been confirmed.

Valais canton Attorney General Beatrice Pillou said an investigation was underway “to determine what led to this dramatic incident”.

“At the moment we are in favor of starting a fire and there is absolutely no question of any attack,” she told a news conference, adding that out of respect for the families of the victims, she could not reveal more information at this time.

Police initially referred to an explosion but later changed the definition to a fire, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause.

Asked about the cause of the fire at a press conference, regional security officer Stefan Ganzer said “it was not the detonation of an explosive device that started the fire, but the fire’s growth caused an explosion and led to a full-scale fire in the house.”

Ms Piloud said efforts were underway to identify the victims and return the bodies to their families as quickly as possible, adding: “A lot of work needs to be done to do this. And this important work will require the closure of the area.”

Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Conado, said it would take weeks to identify the deceased.

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

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said: “A joyous moment turned into a tragedy, affecting all of Switzerland and abroad.”

Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort that became famous in the 1980s for hosting the Ski World Cup.

Le Constellation has been around for decades and has a TV screen upstairs where people can watch football matches and a large bar downstairs for drinking and dancing.

The Foreign Office said its “thoughts are with all those injured and killed in this terrible tragedy” and consulate staff are standing by to provide support to any affected British nationals.