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About 40 Dead, Roughly 100 Injured in New Year’s Bar Fire at Swiss Ski Resort

Authorities say the blaze appears accidental, with investigators examining possible indoor pyrotechnics.

Overview

  • Authorities report about 40 fatalities and 100–115 injured after the blaze at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana around 1:30 a.m.
  • The prosecutor says the case is being treated as an accidental fire, not an attack, with a full criminal inquiry underway.
  • Witness accounts and diplomatic statements describe indoor sparklers or fireworks igniting a wooden ceiling in the basement club.
  • The bar’s basement layout with a narrow stairway impeded escape, and compliance with safety and evacuation routes is under review.
  • A major response deployed up to 13 helicopters and about 40–42 ambulances, imposed a cordon and a no-fly zone, and began difficult victim identification involving several nationalities.