Dozens Killed, About 115 Injured in Swiss Ski Resort Bar Blaze

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (Worthy News) – Swiss police say “several dozen” people were killed and about 115 injured, many critically, after a devastating fire tore through a crowded bar in the Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations. Authorities have ruled out terrorism.

“This is one of the worst tragedies Switzerland has experienced,” said Guy Parmelin, president of the Swiss Confederation, noting that victims included both local residents and holidaymakers. He said flags would fly at half-mast for five days and urged national unity, asking that the dead be remembered “for the lives they lived, not the horrific way in which those lives were lost.”

There was initial confusion over whether an explosive device had been involved. Police later clarified that the incident began as a fire, which then triggered an explosion inside the venue, the Le Constellation.

Two young French women who said they were inside the bar told France’s BFM TV that the blaze started after a bottle with “birthday candles” was held too close to the wooden ceiling. “The fire spread across the ceiling super quickly,” one of the women said.

They said they escaped via a narrow staircase to the ground floor, but minutes later the fire had already reached that level, making escape increasingly difficult for others.

DEADLIEST NIGHT FOR RESORT TOWN

Italian officials, citing Swiss police information, suggested around 40 deaths, though Swiss authorities said only that the toll was “dozens,” stressing that identification remains ongoing due to severe burns.

The fire erupted at about 1:30 a.m. local time, prompting a state of emergency in the luxury resort, known for international tourism, high-end shopping, and major sporting events.

Police said more than 100 people were inside the bar when the fire broke out, and many required urgent medical care. Emergency crews, ambulances, and helicopters responded in large numbers, sealing off the area.

Witnesses said improvised triage centers were set up in a nearby bar and inside a local branch of Switzerland’s UBS bank, where victims were treated after fleeing the intense heat into freezing night air.

“And then it was just ambulances coming back and forth as much as possible,” recalled Dominic Dubois, who watched bodies being brought out.

IMPROVISED TRIAGE AND FRANTIC RESCUES

A nearby restaurant worker said first responders asked staff for tablecloths to cover bodies from public view.

“There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local resident Samuel Rapp. “They had jackets over their faces—that’s what I saw.”

Authorities said the victims appeared to be of multiple nationalities, complicating identification. Hospitals across Switzerland were placed on alert, with the most severely injured transferred to specialist burn units.

Valais State Council President Mathias Reynard called the incident a “nightmare” that shattered New Year celebrations in the resort.

The U.S. Embassy in Bern expressed condolences, saying its “thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and their loved ones.” Swiss authorities have set up a hotline for families at +41 848 112 117.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION AND MOURNING

The tragedy comes 25 years after a deadly New Year’s Eve fire in Volendam, the Netherlands, where sparklers ignited ceiling decorations at an overcrowded café, killing 14 people and injuring more than 200.

It also follows a series of major nightclub fires worldwide, intensifying debate over safety standards in nightlife venues.

In December 2025, a nightclub fire in Goa, India, killed 25 people. In March last year, a blaze and stampede at the Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, killed 63 people after pyrotechnics ignited the roof.

In April 2024, a fire at Istanbul’s Masquerade nightclub during renovations killed 29 workers. In October 2023, a blaze in Murcia, Spain, left 13 people dead after spreading across multiple clubs.

CONFIRMED CASES IN INDONESIA AND CAMEROON

Indonesia has also suffered deadly nightclub fires. In January 2022, at least 19 people were killed after a blaze erupted at a nightclub in Sorong, in Indonesia’s West Papua province. Authorities said the fire broke out after two rival groups clashed inside the venue, setting parts of the building ablaze. Several victims died from burns and smoke inhalation, while others were trampled as patrons tried to escape the overcrowded club.

Also in January 2022, a fire at Liv’s Nightclub Yaouba in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, killed at least 17 people. Government officials said fireworks used inside the club ignited the roof, and the flames spread to areas where cooking gas cylinders were stored, triggering explosions. Many victims died instantly, while others succumbed to severe burns in hospital.

In December 2016, some 36 people died in a fire at a warehouse-turned-event space known as the “Ghost Ship” in Oakland, California. A year earlier, a pyrotechnics-sparked blaze at Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub killed 64 people and injured nearly 200.

RENEWED CALLS FOR TOUGHER SAFETY MEASURES

Swiss officials said the investigation into the Crans-Montana blaze is ongoing, but the disaster is already fueling renewed international calls for stricter fire-safety enforcement, particularly in crowded nightlife venues.

Authorities stressed that while the cause appears accidental, the scale of the tragedy underscores the deadly risks of fire in enclosed, overcrowded spaces—a lesson echoed repeatedly across continents.

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