(Bloomberg) — Swiss police say about 40 people have been killed and 115 injured after a fire broke out at a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort during New Year’s celebrations.
The town in the canton of Wallis is a popular tourist spot, and France and Italy said some of their citizens were among the injured. Local officials say the fire was caused by an accident.
The fire broke out in the Le Constellation bar in the early hours of Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses told French television BFMTV that a candle on a bottle, which was held too high, ignited the ceiling. The flames, along with black smoke, spread quickly, they said.
Police and emergency services were alerted at around 1.30am and rushed to the scene to help. Cantonal police chief Frederic Gisler said the first officers arrived within two minutes.
Police have cordoned off the area and are investigating the cause.
There were media reports of an explosion at the site, but local authorities said it was caused by a fire rather than the other way around.
Beatrice Pilloud, Attorney General for the state of Wallis, said investigators had recovered some of the phones and were interviewing witnesses. One part of the job will be to find out if the place has proper safety procedures and emergency exits.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he was “confident” the investigation would be carried out “professionally”.
The injured were taken to local hospitals as well as facilities in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich. Some may be flown to neighboring countries given the strain on health services in Switzerland as a result of the scale of the tragedy.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RaiNews24 television that 12-15 Italian citizens were hospitalized after the fire. Another 16 are missing. Parmelin said he was in contact with a number of foreign leaders, including from France and Italy.
The Swiss president also said what happened was “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known”.
The police have set up a helpline for families looking for information: ( 41) 848 112 117.
Crans-Montana is a well-known ski and tourist area and hosts World Cup ski competitions. In a statement, local tourism authorities said it was a day of “deep sadness” and thanked emergency services and others who helped the victims.
–With help from Alessandra Migliaccio and Dayana Mustak.
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