Swiss bar fire Highlights: 40 dead, 115 injured in blaze; police say it may take days to identify bodies
Swiss bar fire Highlights: A fire at an alpine resort bar in Switzerland's Crans Montana, which lies in the southwestern part of the country, has left 40 dead and around 115 injured. The bar was packed with customers celebrating New Year's Day when the tragedy occurred.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: The massive fire that occurred at a bar in Switzerland's Crans Montana municipality has led to the death of 40 individuals while 115 were injured in the incident. The entire area has been cordoned off and authorities have imposed a no-fly zone over Crans Montana, as per a statement issued by local police on Thursday.
The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of potentially one of Switzerland's worst tragedies.
Officials have not yet ascertained the cause of the fire, but media reports suggest pyrotechnics to be behind the incident. A local police spokesperson said, “More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead,” adding, “We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists.”
What survivors said
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, described “total chaos” inside the bar. One of his friends died and “two or three were missing,” he told The Associated Press.
He said he hadn't seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said.
Clavier said he felt like he was suffocating and initially hid behind a table, then ran upstairs and tried to use a table to break a Plexiglas window. It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape.
He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but “I am still alive and it's just stuff.”
“I'm still in shock,” he added.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden 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.
Updates to this LIVE blog have ended
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: 13 of the wounded were Italian citizens
Thirteen of the wounded were Italian citizens, and another six Italians are unaccounted for, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told state-run RAI television.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: Victims were from several countries
Witnesses said many of those celebrating in the bar appeared to be from different countries. Foreign governments were calling around to establish whether their nationals were among the victims but were facing a lengthy process because the severity of the burns had rendered identification challenging, one European official said. (Reuters)
Sixteen Italians have been reported missing after the fire.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: How did first responders react to the tragedy?
First responders were prompt in getting into action to save those trapped in the fire. As per a report by CNN, 10 helicopters as well as 40 ambulances were mobilised to help the survivors. 150 medical personnel were also mobilised.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: European Commission Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen reacts to Swiss bar fire tragedy
“We are liaising with Swiss authorities to provide medical assistance to the victims through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism,” Vin Der Leyen said in a post on X, adding, "Europe stands in full solidarity with Switzerland.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: Authorities not aware of exact number of people in the establishment when the fire started
Authorities in Switzerland are unaware about the number of people who were present inside the bar when the fire occurred.
Attorney General of the Valais Canton Beatrice Pilloud said that the capacity of the venue will also be a part of the probe.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reacts to Crans-Montana tragedy
"A moment of joy turned into tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. These events are deeply distressing. Our thoughts are with those affected and their loved ones. We wish the injured a swift and full recovery."
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: France welcoming the injured to its hospitals, ready to provide assistance, says Macron
French president Emmanuel Macron said in an X post on Thursday, "I met with the President of the Swiss Confederation @ParmelinG to express our solidarity. The toll is terrible. Our thoughts are with the families. Our diplomatic and consular teams are following the situation and providing the necessary assistance to our compatriots affected by this tragedy. France is welcoming the injured in its hospitals and stands ready to provide any assistance. Thank you to the teams and caregivers mobilized."
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: People pay tributes to the deceased
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: What Swiss president Guy Parmelin said
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 was Parmelin's first day in office as the seven members of Switzerland's government take turns holding the presidency for one year. (AP)
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: Viral video captures chaos as blaze engulfed bar
A video of the massive fire at an alpine resort in Switzerland that occurred on Thursday has captured the horror and chaos that unfolded in the area.
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: Where is Crans Montana?
Crans-Montana is less than 5 km from Sierre, Switzerland, where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.
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.
With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 metres (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais region's snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. (AP)
Swiss bar fire LIVE Updates: 40 dead, 115 injured
Local police have confirmed that 40 people have died in the Swiss bar fire tragedy while 115 have been injured in the incident.