In brief
A fire has devastated a popular bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, resulting in significant casualties. As many as 40 people are feared dead, with around 100 others injured. Emergency services rapidly responded with helicopters and ambulances, and investigations are underway to determine the cause, ruled out as an attack. The incident has shocked the local and international community, and preparations are being made to assist the affected families.
Several dozen people are presumed dead and around 100 injured after a fire ripped through a bar in a ski resort in southern Switzerland, officials have said.
The fire broke out at around 01:30 (00:30 GMT) during New Year celebrations in a bar called Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, police said.
People from multiple countries have been affected, according to Swiss authorities, and significant work will be needed to identify victims and return bodies to families.
Officials investigating the incident have not mentioned any cause, but categorically ruled out an attack.
Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances, and 150 emergency responders were sent overnight to the scene of the fire in the Valais region, which is popular with tourists.
Most of the injured experienced severe burns and were sent to Valais hospital, said Mathias Reynard, the region's council leader, in a press conference on Thursday morning.
Details are still emerging, and it is not yet known the precise number of people who have been killed and injured, their nationalities, the cause of the fire, or how many people were in the bar. Officials have confirmed that several nationalities were involved.
The Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated around 40 people had died.
The local media reports earlier on Thursday suggested pyrotechnics could have caused the incident, although this is unconfirmed. Valais canton prosecutor general Beatrice Pilloud stated that an investigation was under way to identify the circumstances which caused this dramatic situation to occur.
Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort, famous in the 1980s for hosting the World Cup skiing.
The UK Foreign Office said its thoughts are with all those injured and killed in the terrible tragedy and consular staff were on standby to provide support to any British nationals affected.
