Dozens presumed dead in fire at new year party in Swiss resort

A fire has ripped through a new year party at a bar at an Alpine resort in Switzerland, with dozens of people feared dead and about 100 others injured, most of them seriously.

The incident occurred at around 1.30am local time on Thursday in Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.

Police said they cannot yet be more precise about fatalities as investigations continue at the scene and attempts are made to identify the victims and inform their families.

Local officials said the cause of the fire is not yet known but they have ruled out any kind of attack. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the building.

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a barman carrying a barmaid on his shoulders. The barmaid was holding a lit candle in a bottle that set fire to the wooden ceiling. The flames quickly spread and collapsed the ceiling, they told the broadcaster.

One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.

Officials called the blaze an “embrasement generalise” – a firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently.

The cause of the fire is not yet known (Jean-Christophe Bott/AP) PA Media

Another witness who spoke to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.

The witness said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries.

The injured are so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital has quickly hit full capacity, local officials said.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The Alpine town of Crans-Montana is popular with tourists (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone/AP) PA Media

Speaking at a press conference in the hours after the incident, head of the regional government Mathias Reynard said: “This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare.

Valais Cantonal police commander Frederic Gisler said: “We are devastated.”

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a social media post that the government’s “thoughts go to the victims, to the injured and their relatives, to whom it addresses its sincere condolences”.

Thursday is his first day in office as president as the seven members of Switzerland’s government take turns holding the presidency for one year. Out of respect for the families of the victims, he delayed a traditional new year address to the nation meant to be broadcast on Thursday afternoon.

A reception centre and helpline have been set-up for impacted families.