Dozens killed or injured in explosion during New Year’s celebrations in Switzerland

An explosion late last night in a bar at the luxury Crans Montana hotel complex in the Swiss Alps left dozens dead and injured, according to local police.

The police chief of the canton of Valais in southwestern Switzerland, Frédéric Geisler, told reporters that “dozens of people are believed to have died,” adding that around 100 people had been injured.

In Italy, the Foreign Ministry said information received from Swiss police indicated around 40 people had been killed.

The city’s police spokesperson, Gaétan Laton, told Agence France-Presse that an “explosion of unknown origin” occurred inside the “Le Constellation” bar around 1:30 a.m. local time (12:30 GMT), adding: “There are several injured and several dead.”

Laton explained that the bar, which has a capacity of 300 people, in addition to 40 people on the balcony, was packed with New Year’s revelers, noting that rescue and firefighting operations are still continuing at the venue.

Police said the area was completely closed and a flight ban was imposed over the targeted station.

Images published by Swiss media showed a building engulfed in flames, while ambulances, police and emergency services were deployed around it, while the circumstances and nature of the explosion are not yet known.

Pressure and blockage

The canton of Valais prosecutor, Béatrice Billaud, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, explaining that experts had not yet been able to enter the scene of the wreck.

For his part, a member of the regional municipal council, Mathias Renard, indicated that the number of infected people was so large that the intensive care units and operating rooms of the regional hospital quickly reached their maximum capacity.

Authorities said ambulance helicopters and ambulances rushed to the accident scene to transport the injured, including a number of foreigners of different nationalities. Local media reported that ambulances were still parked outside the bar hours after the fire started, while windows appeared broken and a “burning smell” emanated from the place.

The municipality of Crans-Montana explained on its website that it had banned the use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve due to the lack of rain over the past month.

In a region that experiences high tourist density and high demand for skiing, authorities have called on residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid any incidents that could require additional medical resources, given the intense pressure on health facilities.

Crans Montana Resort is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, approximately 40 kilometers north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous peaks in the Alps, and approximately 130 kilometers south of the city of Zurich.

Police later said the area was completely closed and a no-fly zone had been imposed over the targeted station.

Images published by Swiss media showed a building engulfed in flames, while ambulances, police and emergency services were spread around it, while the circumstances and nature of the explosion were not yet known.