At least 40 killed in deadly New Year's party blast at Swiss ski resort bar

Swiss police said about 40 people were killed and 115 injured when a fire broke out in a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana during New Year's Eve celebrations.

The blast happened in the early hours of New Year’s Day as revellers celebrated the arrival of 2026.

Police are investigating whether the bar exceeded its limit of about 200 customers. The fire broke out after authorities banned the use of fireworks, including on New Year's Eve, owing to dry weather in the past two months.

Police are investigating whether the venue in Crans-Montana exceeded its occupancy limit of about 200 people. AFP

The town, in the canton of Valais, is a popular tourism location and France and Italy said some of their citizens were among the injured. Local officials said the blaze was the result of an accident.

There were media reports of an explosion at the scene, but local authorities said this was caused by the blaze rather than the other way around.

The fire broke out at around 1.30am. Witnesses said they believed it was started by a candle placed in a champagne bottle. Videos online show flames rapidly spreading across the ceiling.

Swiss medical aircraft wait at Sion airport. French and Italian citizens are among the injured. Reuters

“Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire,” a witness, Emma, told French news channel BFMTV. “The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying.”

She said she saw a man with severe burns to his face and body screaming for help outside, and speculated that he might not have survived.

Another witness, Albane, said the blaze was “clearly accidental” and the ceiling caught fire after the candle was placed on a table. The club was “packed with people” when it started, she added.

Crans-Montana is a popular ski resort in the Valais canton, two hours away from the capital