Several dozen people are presumed dead and about 100 have been injured after a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana as revelers rang in the New Year.
Crans-Montana Bar Fire: What We Know
The fire started at approximately 1:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) on Thursday in a bar called Le Constellation, according to police spokesperson Gaetan Lathion.
“Several dozen people are presumed to have died,” Frederic Gisler, the police commander in the Valais Canton, told reporters.
Investigators have ruled out an attack as the cause of the fire, but it is too early to determine the exact cause, said Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton.
Swiss police believe about 40 people have died, according to a statement from the Italian foreign ministry.
More than 100 people were in the building when the blaze broke out, police said.
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including those from different countries, officials said.
Hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland were overwhelmed with burn victims, a medical source told national broadcaster RTS.
Most of those injured were in serious condition, said regional councillor Mathias Renard. The intensive care unit at Valais hospital is full, and patients are being transferred elsewhere.
Images shared by Swiss media showed a building engulfed in flames and emergency services responding to the scene.
“A large contingent of police, firefighters, and rescue workers immediately went to the scene to assist the numerous victims,” a police statement said.
The area has been completely closed off, and a no-fly zone has been imposed over Crans-Montana.
Crans-Montana is an internationally renowned ski resort situated in the Swiss Alps, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn.
A reception centre and helpline have been set up for affected families, officials said.
“We are devastated,” Gisler said.
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