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What was supposed to be a champagne-soaked countdown to the new year turned into a nightmare in the Swiss Alps after a fire tore through a packed bar just after midnight, killing around 40 people and leaving more than 100 others injured, many of them seriously.
The blaze broke out at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, trapping dozens of partygoers inside. Survivors described scenes of panic, thick smoke, and desperate attempts to escape through narrow stairways and windows as flames spread rapidly through the wooden interior.
Among them was 16-year-old Axel Clavier from Paris, who said he felt like he was suffocating before managing to smash a window open with a table and crawl out. One of his friends did not survive, and several others were still unaccounted for hours later. “I’m alive, and that’s what matters,” he said, still in shock.
Witnesses told French media the fire may have started during celebrations involving sparklers or candles, moments before the ceiling collapsed. Others described a deadly crush as people tried to flee a basement nightclub through a single narrow exit.
Authorities in Valais canton said the exact cause remains under investigation and stressed there is no indication of an attack. The number of people inside the bar at the time, and whether it exceeded capacity, is also being examined.
Emergency services were stretched thin as hospitals treated wave after wave of injured revelers in the busy ski region, already packed with holiday tourists. Swiss officials called the tragedy one of the country’s worst in recent memory, with President Guy Parmelin saying first responders were confronted with “scenes of indescribable distress.”
Instead of welcoming the new year with fireworks and music, the Alpine resort woke up to mourning, unanswered questions, and a community trying to make sense of how a night of celebration ended in tragedy.
*With information from AP News
