A New Year’s celebration in the Swiss Alps turned tragic when a fire swept through a crowded bar just hours into the new year, leaving witnesses to describe scenes more akin to a nightmare than a party.
The incident took place less than two hours after midnight on January 1, 2026, at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, a prestigious Alpine resort renowned worldwide for its ski slopes, golf events, and notable sporting activities.
What began as a bustling New Year gathering quickly became one of Switzerland’s most harrowing incidents in recent memory.
Authorities from Valais Canton reported that ‘several tens of people’ are feared dead, with around 100 suffering injuries, many of which are severe.
Police commander Frederic Gisler addressed a news conference, stating that the process of identifying victims and informing families would be lengthy, and it was premature to provide an exact death toll.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, as investigators have not been able to safely enter the establishment, according to Valais Canton attorney general Beatrice Pilloud.
She sought to reassure the public by stating, “At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack.”
Those who survived have shared chilling accounts of the chaos inside as smoke and flames rapidly engulfed the venue.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, recounted to the Associated Press the ‘total chaos’ inside the bar, mentioning that one friend had died and ‘two or three were missing’.
Although Axel did not witness the fire’s onset, he remembered waitresses bringing champagne bottles with sparklers shortly before the chaos ensued.
As the situation deteriorated, he felt suffocated and initially sought refuge behind a table before dashing upstairs, attempting to smash through an acrylic glass window with a table.
Once the window dislodged from its frame, he managed to escape, though he left behind his jacket, shoes, phone, and bank card.
“I am still alive and it’s just stuff,” he remarked, later adding, “I’m still in shock.”
In the meantime, two women shared with French broadcaster BFMTV their observation of a male bartender lifting a female colleague onto his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle.
They described how the flames rapidly spread, leading to the wooden ceiling’s collapse.
One woman detailed the panic among the crowd as people frantically sought to flee from a basement nightclub via a narrow staircase and doorway.
Officials explained that the blaze likely caused the release of combustible gases, which ignited violently, resulting in what firefighters describe as a flashover or backdraft.
“This evening was meant to be a moment of celebration and unity, but it transformed into a nightmare,” stated Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.
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