Dozens of people were killed and around 100 injured, most of them seriously, after fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday.
Fire broke out at 1.30am in a bar called “Le Constellation” in the resort in southwestern Switzerland, which locals said was popular with teenagers. The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remains unclear but authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.
Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead, with around 100 injured, and the Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths. Swiss officials declined to give a specific figure.
“There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local Samuel Rapp, who saw the aftermath of the fire. “They had jackets over their faces, thats what I saw, nothing more.”
Ceiling caught fire
Video footage showed line
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