Swiss Police have confirmed around 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a popular Swiss ski resort during New Year celebrations.
The blast occurred at around 1.30am on Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with tourists in the luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana in the Valais region, southwestern Switzerland.
Revellers were gathered at the venue to ring in the new year when the explosion struck.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, the commander of the Valais cantonal police said the incident has left “around 40” dead and 100 or so injured, some seriously.
The exact cause of the blaze is not yet known, but officials have ruled out a terror incident.
Images published by Swiss media showed the building engulfed in flames, with footage appearing to show the bar’s ceiling rapidly catch fire.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin visited the town on Thursday afternoon, and told a press conference that many of the victims are believed to be young people.
Survivors say the fire looked like a ‘horror movie’
Survivors of the fire have described how people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle.
The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.
The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Watch: Footage appears to show moment deadly fire breaks out at Le Constellation bar
Teenager recalls breaking a window to escape the fire
One teenager who survived the blaze, described “total chaos” inside the bar.
16-year-old Axel Clavier from Paris explained that one of his friends died and a couple were missing.
He told The Associated Press he hadn’t seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said.
He recalled feeling like he was suffocating and hiding behind a table, before running upstairs and using a table to break a Plexiglas window.
It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape.
He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but “I am still alive and it’s just stuff.”
“I’m still in shock,” he added.
Burn victims may be transferred abroad for treatment
Many victims of the deadly fire have suffered from serious burns and smoke inhalation.
Although some were flown to specialist hospitals in Switzerland, burns treatment is limited and some may be transferred to neighbouring countries, says Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais Canton regional government.
President Guy Parmelin said the focus will be on major burns victims over the coming days.
How New Year celebrations turned to tragedy as deadly fire ripped through Swiss ski resort bar
Watch : Swiss president calls ski resort explosion ‘one of worst tragedies country has ever experienced’
Vigil to be held shortly
A vigil is being held shortly in Crans-Montana after a fire ripped through a busy bar on New Year’s Eve.
We are expecting people to gather in the popular ski resort in the next few minutes.
No arrests been made
No arrests have been made after the fatal fire in Crans-Montana.
Swiss officials have ruled out any explosive devices and called the incident an accident.
They said the fire produced explosions and blasts, which were reported initially.
Officials decline to comment on bottle sparkler reports
Officials have declined to comment on reports that sparklers in champagne bottles were being held in the bar before the fire broke out.
Some of those inside the venue described the moments before the fire broke out, with two women having told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a barman carrying a female bartender holding such “birthday candles” on his shoulders.
Attorney general Beatrice Pilloud was asked about the reports in a press conference on Thursday afternoon, but declined to confirm them.
She did however confirm reports that the flight of stairs and narrow door crowds tried to flee through was narrow.
Sixteen Italian nationals missing
Sixteen Italians have been reported missing, while around a dozen more are being treated in hospital, Italian Foreign MinisterAntonio Tajani said on Thursday.
“I hope there are no (Italian) victims, but we cannot rule anything out,” he told the Sky TG24 TV station, describing the situation as “chaotic”.
Tajani, who has been in regular contact with Swiss authorities throughout the day, said the confirmed death toll stood at 47. He added that the injured Italians had suffered severe burns.
Source: independent.co.uk