About 40 people are believed to have been killed and 115 injured after a fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana. Swiss police confirmed several dozen partygoers were dead, with the blaze thought to be accidental.
The fire started at about 1.30am local time at Le Constellation, a bar popular with tourists. Witnesses described a bartender carrying a female staff member holding a lit candle in a champagne bottle, which set fire to a wooden ceiling. The flames quickly spread, causing panic as revellers tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow staircase.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler said authorities were shaken by the incident. Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud confirmed arson was not suspected and a full investigation has been opened. Victims were taken to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
The venue, which had a bar on the main floor and a basement nightclub, was frequented by younger people and tourists. Some witnesses speculated that charcoal from shisha pipes could have caused the fire. The morning after, mourners left flowers outside the cordoned-off club.
