Overview
- The blaze erupted around 1:30 a.m. local time inside Le Constellation during New Year celebrations, with officials reporting several dozen presumed dead and about 100 injured, most gravely.
- Authorities say the fire caused a deflagration inside the venue, and forensic work is underway to determine the precise ignition and timeline.
- Witness accounts point to celebratory pyrotechnics on bottles igniting the ceiling, though investigators have not yet confirmed the cause.
- A large-scale response deployed 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances as hospitals activated major-incident plans and transferred patients to centers in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
- Police set up a help line at 0848 112 117 and a reception center for families, while France confirmed two nationals among the wounded and consular teams coordinate with Swiss authorities.