The celebratory evening at the Crans Montana winter resort turned into one of the worst it has experienced in recent years.
It caused serious burns and injuries to about 100 people, while the authorities are talking about several dozen dead, without yet having been announced exact figures.
Italy’s foreign ministry announced that Swiss police estimated that around 40 people had been killed, while adding that the identification of the victims was not immediately possible due to the severity of the burns.
A little earlier, Frédéric Gislet, commander of the police of the canton of Valais, told reporters that “several dozen people are considered dead” and about 100 have been injured.
Frédéric Gislet, during a press conference, declared devastated, noting that “it is a tragedy that shocks the whole country”.
The fire, according to authorities, appears to have been caused by an unknown cause, with initial reports suggesting it may be related to fireworks during a concert. The possibility of a terrorist attack is currently ruled out.
🔥A fire disaster occurred during a New Year’s Eve party in a bar in , Valais.
📌According to police reports, “several dozen” people died & around 100 people were injured.
( Social Media toll 40)
📌The intensive care unit at…— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala)
The dead in Crans-Montana are of different nationalities
The president of the state council, Mathias Renard, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, pointing out that some victims are from other countries, as Crans Montana is an internationally renowned ski resort full of tourists.
The general prosecutor of the canton of Valais, Beatrice Pilloud, announced that an investigation is fully underway to ascertain the circumstances that led to the fatal fire. As he pointed out, “for the time being, the possibility of an accident caused by fire is being ruled out and any element that indicates an attack is ruled out.” At the same time, out of respect for the families of the victims, he could not give more details.
The prosecutor also pointed out that the processes of identifying the victims and returning the bodies to the families are ongoing, which requires considerable time and makes it necessary to temporarily block the area for security reasons.
BREAKING:
Many killed and wounded in an explosion at a bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24)
Fireworks under the microscope – What witnesses say
The deadly explosion and fire at the luxury resort were likely caused by fireworks during a concert, according to eyewitness accounts.
The police are investigating in depth the exact causes of the accident, while they have not officially confirmed the first cases.
In the meantime, heavy forces and helicopters are involved in the rescue, and a telephone line has been set up to inform the relatives of the victims.
| Several people were killed and others injured after an explosion rocked a bar in the luxurious alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, Swiss police said.
A spokesperson for the cantonal police said that the explosion was of unknown origin but confirmed multiple…
— Deccan Chronicle (@DeccanChronicle)
The local hospitals were full – the injured with severe burns
Helicopters and ambulances immediately rushed to the scene, while the intensive care units and operating rooms of the local hospitals have already reached full capacity. The majority of the injured have serious burns, with the authorities speaking of serious injuries.
The authorities called on residents and tourists to show increased caution in the coming days, so that no new cases arise that will further burden the health system.
Declaration of a state of emergency
According to Swiss media, the region has been declared a state of emergency.
According to a press release, seen by the Swiss newspaper Blick, the decision was made to “immediately mobilize all necessary resources in the coming days”.
Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort in the heart of the Swiss Alps, about two hours from Bern.
What we know about the bar
The BBC’s Crans-Montana correspondent, Silvia Costeloe, said: “This bar has been running for 40 years. It is a large bar and not fancy like most in the area.
It has an upper floor with TVs where people go to watch football matches.
Downstairs it only had one big bar where I guess yesterday people would dance and drink.
You go there for beers – it’s a youth bar. It would be a mixture of young, Swiss, people coming from the surrounding areas to celebrate here in Crans-Montana in the New Year.”
