At least 40 people died, and over 110 others were injured after a major fire broke out at a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort in Valais Canton in southwestern Switzerland. The incident happened around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) on Thursday.
President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin described the incident as “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced.” Parmelin said, “The government would like to express its condolences to all the relatives.”
Here’s all the latest you must know about Swiss bar tragedy
1. Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed in a blaze as they celebrated the New Year.
Many of those who came to mourn the tragedy stood, motionless, overlooking the scene. People spoke in whispers, if at all.
“I wasn’t [at the bar] myself, but I had many friends and relatives who were,” said one young mourner, who gave his surname as Orosstevic. “Some died, others are in the hospital. About 10,” he told AFP.
2. “It was around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) when smoke was spotted” coming out of Le Constellation bar at the heart of the upscale resort, police commander Frederic Gisler was quoted by the AFP as saying.
“Immediately, the red alarm, which mobilizes the fire department, was triggered,” Gisler said, adding that firefighters “quickly contained the blaze” while the injured were being treated.
More than 30 victims were taken to hospitals with specialized burns units in Zurich and Lausanne, and six were taken to Geneva, Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
3. Several witness accounts, broadcast by various Swiss, French and Italian media, seemed to point to sparklers that were apparently mounted on top of champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular “show” put on for patrons who made special orders to their tables.
“I think there were some ladies, waitresses, with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire,” Axel, who was present at the time of the incident, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.
4. According to Bloomberga “large-scale” emergency is underway, and a no-fly zone over the area was imposed, police said in a statement. It said there are numerous victims. It didn’t provide information on the cause of the accident.
5. As investigators begin the grueling task of identifying the victims and trying to determine what happened, some of the main issues they will seek to probe include:
>How did the tragedy occur?
> Was the establishment up to scratch?
6. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing. The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.
Crans-Montana is a popular ski and hiking area and hosts World Cup races. The ski resort is operated by Vail Resorts Inc.
(With inputs from agencies)
