{"id":1655989,"date":"2026-01-01T07:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T12:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/?p=1655989"},"modified":"2026-01-01T12:22:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T17:22:30","slug":"a-new-years-party-in-an-upscale-swiss-ski-resort-turned-deadly-heres-what-we-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/news\/us-world\/a-new-years-party-in-an-upscale-swiss-ski-resort-turned-deadly-heres-what-we-know\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Year\u2019s party in an upscale Swiss ski resort turned deadly. Here\u2019s what we know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(CNN) \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>New Year celebrations turned to tragedy in Switzerland on Thursday, with dozens of people presumed dead and around 100 others injured in\u00a0a fire at an Alpine ski resort, police have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities said the blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year\u2019s Day at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, one of Switzerland\u2019s most exclusive locales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gaetan Lathion, spokesperson for police in the canton of Valais, said the \u201cfire broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.\u201d He said about 100 people were inside at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 and <\/strong>a 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the investigation is in its early stages, police have ruled out a terror attack, saying the tragedy is being treated as a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prosecutor B\u00e9atrice Pilloud said at a press briefing Thursday morning that it was too soon to determine its cause and that the investigation would \u201ctake a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two witnesses told CNN affiliate BFMTV that the devastating fire was caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were waitresses carrying champagne bottles with sparklers on them, and they carried them close to the ceiling, which caused it to catch fire,\u201d one eyewitness said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne waitress was standing on another waiter\u2019s shoulders, and the bottle and the flames were just a few centimeters away from the ceiling,\u201d the other reveler added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce the ceiling was on fire, within about 10 seconds the entire nightclub was on fire,\u201d the first eyewitness said. \u201cWe all ran out screaming and when we turned back, there were flames.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both witnesses said there were at least 200 people inside the establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another eyewitness recalled hearing people shouting as the fire tore through the bar. \u201cThere were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead. They had jackets over their faces,\u201d local resident Samuel Rapp told Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued: \u201cThen I received videos where people were trying to get out, but they were trampling over each other, so it was hard to get out through the exit. And there were people shouting, saying, \u2018Help me. Please help us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People present initially described the fire as an \u201cexplosion,\u201d a state council member said earlier Thursday during the press briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valais State Council member Stephane Ganzer, identified as a former firefighter, said: \u201cThe fire spread and, as it developed, caused a widespread explosion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

How many people lost their lives?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Swiss authorities have not yet given an exact number for those killed, saying it was \u201ctoo early.\u201d Police said in the press briefing Thursday morning that \u201cdozens\u201d were presumed dead and that the victims were likely of different nationalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin said the incident represented a \u201ctragic loss that touches the whole country and far beyond,\u201d as he offered his condolences to the victims and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Year\u2019s Day was the first day of Parmelin\u2019s one-year term as head of state; he postponed a traditional address to the nation out of respect for the victims of the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

French President Emmanuel Macron also offered his condolences to the bereaved, saying Switzerland has \u201cthe full solidarity of France and our fraternal support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are the injured being treated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The huge number of people injured in the tragedy has overwhelmed the local medical system in the Valais canton, with patients being transported to hospitals across the country and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking earlier on Thursday, State Council president Mathias Reynard said that the intensive care unit and the operating room at the Valais hospital were full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss public service broadcasters have reported that patients have been transported to hospitals in Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne and other major cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland has two specialized centers that treat patients suffering from major burns \u2013 one in Lausanne and one in Zurich, according to official information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the Niguarda Hospital in Milan was set to receive several patients as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s foreign ministry said Thursday afternoon that 15 Italian nationals were in hospital after being injured in the fire. It added that \u201cas many\u201d Italians remain unaccounted for following the disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France\u2019s foreign ministry said two French nationals were among the injured and had been \u201cimmediately taken into care by emergency services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consular teams were in contact with Swiss authorities in case other French nationals were affected, the statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is Crans-Montana?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2013 most from France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2013 1,500 meters above sea level \u2013 offers sweeping Alpine vistas stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, one of Europe\u2019s highest peaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story has been updated with additional developments.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(CNN) \u2014\u00a0New Year celebrations turned to tragedy in Switzerland on Thursday, with dozens of people presumed dead and around 100 others injured in\u00a0a fire atRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":188962060,"featured_media":1655994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-01-01T12:37:13Z","apple_news_api_id":"e5bb0504-c1d2-4878-9fff-65c8df667411","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-01-01T17:22:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A5bsFBMHSSHif_2XI32Z0EQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_speedyseo_primary_category":"","_sunbeam_story_id":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1381],"tags":[1415],"coauthors":[2160],"class_list":["post-1655989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-world","tag-video","sunbeam-copyright-cnn-wire"],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/260101_swiss_fire.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/188962060"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1655989"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1656049,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655989\/revisions\/1656049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1655994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1655989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1655989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1655989"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1655989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}