WHAT began as a night of celebration in the upscale Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland turned into one of the country’s worst peacetime tragedies when a fire engulfed the Le Constellation bar shortly after midnight on Thursday.
Authorities reported at least 40 fatalities and more than 115 injuries, many serious, less than two hours into New Year’s festivities.
Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler described the community as “devastated” and said that identification of the victims and notification of families would take several days.
“The first objective is to assign names to all the bodies,” The Associated Press reported Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud saying, acknowledging the grim and painstaking work ahead.
Experts are relying on dental and DNA samples, Mathias Reynard, head of the cantonal government, explained, emphasising that “nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure.”
Thirteen of the wounded were Italian citizens, with six more Italians still unaccounted for, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, reported.
Parents of missing youths issued anguished appeals for news of their children, while embassies worked to determine whether their nationals were among the victims.
Valais Canton attorney general Beatrice Pilloud confirmed it was too early to establish the cause of the blaze, noting that it appeared accidental rather than deliberate.
Eyewitness accounts suggest the fire may have started when sparkling candles ignited the wooden ceiling in the bar’s basement.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” she said, adding that the total number of patrons at the bar remains unknown and that its maximum capacity will be considered as part of the investigation.
Survivors recounted scenes of panic and horror. Axel Clavier, 16, from Paris, described “total chaos” as people struggled to escape.
“I felt like I was suffocating,” he told The Associated Press. Clavier broke a Plexiglas window to flee, losing his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card in the process. “I am still alive and it’s just stuff. I’m still in shock,” he added.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that a male bartender lifted a female colleague holding a lit candle in a bottle, which ignited the ceiling.
Panicked patrons surged toward the narrow staircases and exits, smashing windows to escape, while parents arrived frantically to locate their children. Italian authorities confirmed that one missing person, Giovanni Tamburi, remains unaccounted for.
His mother, Carla Masielli, appealed publicly: “We don’t know if he’s among the dead. We don’t know if he’s among the missing. They don’t tell us anything!”
Medical facilities in the region were quickly overwhelmed. Mathias Reynard said that intensive care units and operating theatres reached full capacity, and three injured Italians were being transferred from Switzerland to Milan for treatment. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani planned to visit the site due to the high number of Italian victims.
Crans-Montana, renowned for its ski slopes and golf courses, is a high-altitude resort town that regularly hosts international sporting events, including World Cup skiing competitions and the European Masters golf tournament.
Authorities have urged residents and visitors to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid placing further strain on medical resources.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in office, expressed condolences and praised the courage of first responders.
“Many emergency staff had been confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress,” he said.
“This Thursday must be the time of prayer, unity and dignity. Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help.”
Residents and visitors gathered near the cordoned-off bar to pay their respects. Dozens left flowers and candles, while some quietly wept or embraced one another.
“You think you're safe here but this can happen anywhere. They were people like us,” said Piermarco Pani, 18, a local who knew the bar well. Elisa Sousa, 17, recalled that she had been meant to attend the party but stayed with her family instead.
“And honestly, I'll need to thank my mother a hundred times for not letting me go,” she said. “Because God knows where I'd be now.”
The tragedy comes 25 years after a New Year’s Eve fire in Volendam, the Netherlands, which killed 14 and injured over 200, highlighting the persistent dangers posed by crowded public venues and open flames during festive celebrations.
Investigators continue their work amid a sombre town still reeling from the loss, with the identification of the victims expected to take several days as authorities piece together one of the most harrowing events in recent Swiss history. - January 2, 2026
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