Police have confirmed that at least 40 people have died in a fire that broke out at a bar in the Swiss Alps on Thursday (Jan. 31).
As reported by NBC News, a fire swept through the Le Constellation in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana during New Year’s celebrations at approximately 1:30 a.m. local time. “More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead,” said Valais Canton police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion. “We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists.”
At a news conference, the police commander, Frédéric Gisler, said that work is underway to identify some of the victims. At least 40 people have been confirmed to have died in the fire, which also severely injured over 100 people. Gisler described the incident as an “unprecedented tragedy,” and said the death toll could rise due to the condition of those injured.
Investigators are working to discover the cause of the fire, but they do not believe that it was caused by an explosion. “At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” added Valais Canton attorney general Beatrice Pilloud.
Several minutes after the fire started, firefighters arrived at the scene. All of the injured have since received treatment or are being taken to hospitals across Switzerland.
Swiss German-language reporter Martin Meul said that he witnessed the blaze and saw “a lot of people screaming” at the scene. “A lot of people were trying to escape through the main door, he said. “I saw a lot of people on the floor and I think these people were dead.” Due to the number of injured individuals, many intensive care units at regional hospitals have hit capacity, said regional councilor Mathias Rénard.
