Dozens Feared Dead, Over 100 Injured in Fire at Swiss Alpine Resort Bar During New Year’s Celebration

A fire ripped through a New Year’s celebration at a bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana less than two hours after midnight Thursday, with dozens of people feared dead and about 100 others injured, most of them seriously, according to police.

Crans-Montana, best known as an international ski and golf destination, was shaken as the crowded Le Constellation bar transformed overnight from a place of celebration into the site of what authorities fear could be one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies in recent years.

Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that “several tens of people” were presumed to have died in the fire. He cautioned that an exact death toll was not immediately available, explaining that work to identify the victims and notify their families is ongoing and will take time. Gisler described the local community as “devastated.”

Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, noting that experts have not yet been able to safely access the wreckage. She emphasized that authorities do not believe the incident was the result of an attack.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

Emergency helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, some of whom were reported to be from different countries. Hospitals in the region were quickly overwhelmed by the number of injured, with intensive care units and operating rooms reaching capacity, officials said.

Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos as the fire spread rapidly. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside the bar when they saw a bartender carrying a barmaid on his shoulders as she held a lit candle inside a bottle. According to their account, the flames ignited the wooden ceiling, which quickly collapsed.

One witness described a surge of people attempting to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow staircase and through a tight doorway. Another witness told BFMTV that people smashed windows to escape the smoke and flames, while gravely injured individuals struggled to get out and parents rushed toward the scene fearing their children were trapped inside. The witness likened what he saw to a horror movie.

Officials said the fire likely caused the release of combustible gases, leading to a violent ignition known to firefighters as a flashover or backdraft.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.

Authorities urged residents and visitors in the busy resort region to exercise caution in the coming days, noting that medical resources are already strained due to the number of injured.

Crans-Montana is located less than five kilometers from Sierre, Switzerland, where a 2012 bus crash killed 28 people, many of them children. The town sits in the heart of the Alps and is a major venue on the World Cup skiing circuit, with upcoming international events scheduled ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. It is also home to the Crans-sur-Sierre golf club, which hosts the European Masters each August.

The Swiss tragedy comes 25 years after a deadly New Year’s Eve fire in the Dutch town of Volendam, where 14 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a café blaze.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a social media post that the government’s thoughts were with the victims, the injured, and their families, offering condolences on behalf of the nation. Out of respect for those affected, Parmelin delayed a traditional New Year’s address on his first day in office, Swiss media reported.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional information will be released as it becomes available.