New Year’s party at Swiss ski resort turns deadly

By Martin Goillandeau, Laura Sharman, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

(CNN) — New Year celebrations turned to tragedy in Switzerland on Thursday, with dozens of people presumed dead and around 100 others injured in a fire at an Alpine ski resort, police have said.

Authorities said the blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, one of Switzerland’s most exclusive locales.

Here’s what we know.

What happened?

Gaetan Lathion, spokesperson for police in the canton of Valais, said the “fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.” He said about 100 people were inside at the time.

The venue lies at the very heart of the luxury ski resort, just a short walk from the bottom station of the lift that takes skiers up into the mountains. It has two bars, a dedicated shisha smoking area anda capacity of 300 people, with terrace space for 40, according to its website. Photos from inside the venue show a dark, cavernous space with a large, brightly lit bar at its center. It was not immediately clear which part of the bar was affected by the fire.

While the investigation is in its early stages, police have ruled out a terror attack, saying the tragedy is being treated as a fire.

Prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said at a press briefing Thursday morning that it was too soon to determine its cause and that the investigation would “take a lot of time.”

Two witnesses told CNN affiliate BFMTV that the devastating fire was caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles.

“There were waitresses carrying champagne bottles with sparklers on them, and they carried them close to the ceiling, which caused it to catch fire,” one eyewitness said.

“One waitress was standing on another waiter’s shoulders, and the bottle and the flames were just a few centimeters away from the ceiling,” the other reveler added.

“Once the ceiling was on fire, within about 10 seconds the entire nightclub was on fire,” the first eyewitness said. “We all ran out screaming and when we turned back, there were flames.”

Both witnesses said there were at least 200 people inside the establishment.

People present initially described the fire as an “explosion,” a state council member said earlier Thursday.

“Witness accounts and investigation show that it was the fire that caused the air in the venue to burst into flames,” Valais State Council member Stephane Ganzer said alongside officials during the press briefing Thursday morning.

Ganzer, identified as a former firefighter, said: “The fire spread and, as it developed, caused a widespread explosion.”

Police have released footage from inside the venue after the fire, which appears to show the terrace area of Le Constellation. Chairs and benches can be seen in disarray, suggesting the panic of partygoers as they attempted to flee the blaze.

Large crews from the emergency services immediately responded. Operations are still ongoing and the area has been closed off, with a no-fly zone in place over Crans-Montana, police said.

How many people lost their lives?

Swiss authorities have not yet given an exact number for those killed, saying it was “too early.” Police said in the press briefing Thursday that “dozens” were presumed dead and that the victims were likely of different nationalities.

Italy’s foreign ministry said approximately 40 people died in the blaze, citing Swiss police. The foreign ministry added in a statement that the victims could not be immediately identified due to severe burns.

Video from Reuters showed red and white police tape blocking access to the scene on Thursday. White forensic tents can be seen outside the bar as investigations into the fire continue.

State Council president Mathias Reynard described how the New Year’s Eve celebration became a “nightmare” as the incident unfolded, speaking during a joint press conference.

“This event, which should have been a moment of celebration and togetherness, turned into a nightmare. A tragic event that gravely injured and took the lives of a number of people,” he said.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said the incident represented a “tragic loss that touches the whole country and far beyond,” as he offered his condolences to the victims and their families.

New Year’s Day was the first day of Parmelin’s one-year term as head of state; he postponed a traditional address to the nation out of respect for the victims of the fire.

French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his condolences to the bereaved, saying Switzerland has “the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support.”

France’s foreign ministry said two French nationals were among the injured and had been “immediately taken into care by emergency services.” Consular teams were in contact with Swiss authorities in case other French nationals were affected, the statement added.

Where is Crans-Montana?

The Crans-Montana resort is popular with foreign tourists. According to its official website, it welcomes around 3 million visitors a year, with roughly a fifth coming from abroad – most from France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.

It is famed for its year-round sunshine, which it owes to its position on a south-facing plateau in the Rhone Valley. The area – 1,500 meters above sea level – offers sweeping Alpine vistas stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, one of Europe’s highest peaks.

Tourists are drawn by its understated glamor, with high-end shopping and fine dining as well as extensive ski slopes and a lively apres-ski scene.

With a small population of around 15,000, the area is said to have a close-knit community as well as being a low-key place for celebrities to go skiing, golfing and dining.

Crans-Montana also has a lengthy history as an important stop on the professional skiing circuit. The resort was the site of the 1987 FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships, which famously introduced the super-G discipline to the world championships, and is set to host the 2027 world championships in February of next year. Crans-Montana is also a prominent fixture in the annual alpine skiing World Cup for both men and women.

For golf fans, it is the home of the annual Omega European Masters golf tournament on the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour), which famously played host to Michelle Wie becoming the first woman to compete on the men’s European Tour in 2006.

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