'Several' dozen killed in blaze in Swiss resort bar on New Year's Day, police say

[ad_1] LONDON -- "A number of" dozen folks have been presumed killed and about 100 others have been injured early on New Yr's Day, as a fireplace ripped via a well-liked bar in a resort city within the Swiss Alps, police stated.

A blaze of "undetermined origin" broke out on the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana at about 1:30 a.m. native time, the Cantonal Police of Valais stated in an announcement.

Rescuers and fire-fighters work on the website of an explosion that ripped via a bar in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026.

Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photos

Investigators have been engaged on Thursday to find out the reason for the fireplace, officers stated throughout a morning press convention. The incident was not being investigated as an assault, they added.

"What ought to have been a second of pleasure changed into a tragedy in Crans-Montana final night time, a tragedy that impacts all of Switzerland and the world," Man Parmelin, the minister who assumed the rotating Swiss presidency on Thursday, stated in German on social media. "The Federal Council has taken notice of this tragedy with profound dismay."

Rescuers are seen on the website of an explosion that ripped via a bar in Crans-Montana in Switzerland on Jan. 1, 2026.

Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photos

Officers described the emergency response as "main," including that the realm close to the Alpine bar had been closed to the general public.

"A big contingent of police, firefighters, and rescue personnel instantly responded to the scene to help the quite a few victims," police stated of their assertion.

A no-fly zone was put in place over Crans-Montana, police stated of their assertion. The resort city is common with skiers and sits in Switzerland’s southern Sierre District within the Canton of Valais.

Cops stroll on the website of a fireplace that ripped via a bar in Crans-Montana, within the canton of Valais, Switzerland, on Jan. 1, 2026.

Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photos

Police haven't launched the identities of those that have been killed within the blaze. Officers on Thursday stated it was seemingly, given the recognition of the realm with vacationers, that a number of the deceased have been vacationers who'd traveled to the Alpine city to ski and to have a good time New Yr's Eve.

The French Overseas Affairs Ministry stated in an announcement that at the very least two French nationals have been among the many injured. Each have been being handled in native hospitals, the ministry stated. French officers have been "in fixed contact with the Swiss authorities in case different nationals are affected," the ministry added.