Dozens presumed dead, nearly 100 injured in fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year’s celebrations – National
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) – Dozens of people are believed to be dead and about 100 injured, most seriously, after a fire broke out at a bar in a Swiss Alps town during a New Year’s party, police said Thursday.
“Several tens of people” were killed in the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police chief Frédéric Gisler said at a news conference.
Work is underway to identify the victims and notify their families, but “that will take time and it is not yet time to give you an accurate number,” said Gisler, adding that the community is “frustrated.”
Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not been able to get inside this accident.
“At the moment there is no question of any kind of attack,” said Pilloud.
The night of the festival turns sour
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to help the victims, including those from different countries, officials said.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a bartender carrying the broadcaster on his shoulders. The butler held a lighted candle in a bottle that ignited the wooden ceiling. The flames spread quickly and destroyed the ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
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One of the women described the crowd breaking out when people tried to escape from the underground nightclub by climbing the stairs and entering through a small door.
An eyewitness speaking to BFMTV described people who broke windows to escape the fire, some were seriously injured, and parents who were scared rushed to the scene in cars to check if their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw around 20 people trying to get out of the smoke and flames and compared what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Police investigate the scene of a fire at the Le Constellation bar, which left people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebrations, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP).
(Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)
Officials called the fire “embrasement généralisé,” a firefighting term that describes how a fire can trigger the release of flammable gases and then burn violently, creating what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or backdraft.
“This night was supposed to be a time to celebrate and come together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and the operating room of the regional hospital were quickly filled, said Rénard.
The resort town sits in the heart of the Alps
In a region busy with tourists skiing the slopes, authorities have urged locals to be vigilant in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require already overwhelmed medical services.
With high ski areas of about 3,000 meters (1.86 miles) in the heart of the Swiss Alps, Crans-Montana is one of the winter sports centers of the crazy Swiss region of Valais, which is also home to Zermatt, Verbier and other resorts located in the snow peaks and pine forests that draw winter sports enthusiasts. The resort is one of the leading race venues on the Alpine skiing World Cup circuit and will host the next world championships in two weeks in February 2027.
In four weeks, the resort will host the best men’s and women’s athletes in their final events before heading to the Milan Cortina Olympics, which open on 6 February.
Crans-Montana is also a premier international golf destination. The Crans-sur-Sierre club hosts the European Masters every August on a beautiful course with stunning views of the mountains. The Le Constellation bar is about 250 meters (273 yards) down the road from the golf club.
Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre, Switzerland, where 28 people, including many children, died when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.
Thursday’s fire in Switzerland comes 25 years after a devastating fire in the Dutch town of Volendam on New Year’s Eve killed 14 people and injured more than 200 as they celebrated in a restaurant.
The President of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, said in a social media post that the government’s “thoughts go out to the victims, the injured and their relatives, to whom we express our condolences.”
Thursday was Parmelin’s first day in office as seven members of the Swiss government took turns as president for one year. Out of respect for the families of the victims, he delayed the New Year’s speech to the nation that was supposed to be broadcast on Thursday afternoon, Swiss broadcasters SRF and RTS reported.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
