Overview
- The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on January 1 in the basement of Le Constellation during celebrations with well over 100 people inside.
- Officials say the explosion was likely a consequence of the blaze, and investigators are examining pyrotechnics, a petard, or champagne‑bottle candles as possible triggers.
- Witnesses describe a single narrow exit from the basement, forcing some to smash windows to escape and compounding the toll among mainly young attendees.
- Hospitals across Valais and major centers received the wounded, with transfers to Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, and Milan’s Niguarda as burn units reached capacity.
- Italy reports 13 nationals hospitalized and six missing, with consular teams on site and a family assistance point operating at Crans‑Montana’s Le Régent center.