It is “one of the worst tragedies” that our country has ever experienced, Swiss federal president Guy Parmelin said this afternoon, after the fire that occurred during a New Year’s party in the resort of south-western Switzerland.
In the latest tally given on New Year’s afternoon by the police of the canton of Valais, the dead from the tragedy amount to almost 40, while the injured to 115. Many of the victims are young, according to the authorities.
The authorities refrain from giving a final account, as the identification process remains particularly difficult and it is estimated that the process of identifying the victims will take weeks, since many of them are charred and there was no list of those present, with the bar “Le Constellation” having a capacity of up to 300 people.
🇨🇭 Around 40 Dead, 115 Injured in Deadly New Year’s Fire at Swiss Ski Resort Bar
A devastating fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during a crowded New Year’s Eve party on January 1, 2026, around 1:30 a.m.
Authorities report…
— World In Last 24hrs (@world24x7hr)
“We have counted around 40 dead and around 115 injured, most of them seriously”, announced the head of the police of the canton, Frederic Giesler, at a press conference in Sion (southwest Switzerland), while next to him the country’s federal president, Guy Parmelin, spoke of “one of the worst tragedies” that Switzerland has experienced, that Swiss flags in Bern will they wave half-wave for five days.
According to sources, the owners of the Le Constellation bar, where the fire broke out at 01:30 in the morning (local time, 02:30 Greek time), are a couple of French nationality originally from Corsica. Media reported that the two owners are alive.
🔴🇨🇭 FLASH NEWS – A photo shows the start of the fire on noise-reducing foam in the Crans-Montana bar. ()
— Media Express (@media_express_e)
Who and where are hospitalized – How many are missing
Earlier, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had said that the dead had risen to 47. In more recent statements he avoided giving a total count, and referred only to Italian nationals. “About 15 Italians” were injured in the bar fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and are currently in hospital, while others are still “missing”, Rete4 television reported. “Currently, 12 to 15 Italians are in hospitals. An equal number are still missing,” he said specifically.
He added that the families of the missing have “contacted the crisis unit and the embassy” to inquire about their loved ones.
The Italian foreign minister later told Sky TG24 TV that the number of missing Italians had risen to 16, but that the final tally remained “uncertain”.
Among the injured, three young Italians who were being treated in Sion, Switzerland, were airlifted in the afternoon to the Burns Unit at the Niguarda hospital in Milan, according to Lombardy regional councilor Guido Bertolaso. “They are three young people: a young woman under the age of 30 and two other teenagers, both 16 years old. (…) They are intubated, so their condition is stable,” said Bertolasso, clarifying that they have suffered burns “on 30 to 40% of their bodies.”
Two other much younger Italians, who are being treated in Bern and Zurich, Switzerland – who “cannot be transferred at the moment” due to their critical condition – may be transferred to Niguarda later, according to the same source. “In our Burn Unit, we have 18 beds. We have released all of them and have recalled all the staff,” he stressed, noting that other Italians – who have still not been identified – are currently being treated in various Swiss hospitals.
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
According to a new account given this evening by a representative of the French Foreign Ministry, six French nationals have been injured and eight others are still unaccounted for. Three of the survivors have been transferred to French hospitals, while more transfers are underway.
The French Foreign Ministry had earlier reported that there were two French wounded.
The Commission is in contact with the Swiss authorities
The European Commission announced today that it is “in contact” with the Swiss authorities to provide “medical assistance” following the deadly fire in Crans Montana.
“My deepest condolences to the many victims of the explosion in Crans Montana, their families and the rescuers who are working,” wrote European Commissioner Haja Labib in a post on X.
France receives casualties
Emmanuel Macron announced that France is accepting wounded people in French hospitals. “France is receiving wounded in its hospitals and is available to provide any assistance. I thank the groups and workers in the health care sector who mobilized,” the French president wrote on social media after a phone call with Parmelain.
Macron did not specify how many wounded are being treated in France or in which hospitals.
“Our thoughts are with the families,” he said, and expressed France’s “solidarity” with the neighboring country, as well as his sadness at the “horrible toll” from the Crans Montana fire.
“Our diplomatic and consular teams are monitoring the situation and providing the necessary assistance to our compatriots affected by this tragedy,” the French president said.
At least two French citizens are among the injured, according to the French Foreign Ministry.
