January 2, 2026 | 04:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Around 40 people were killed and 115 injured after a blast at the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, Swiss police said early Thursday, January 1, 2026.
Police said the blast occurred at around 1:30 a.m. (0030 UTC/GMT) local time at Le Constellation, a venue popular with tourists, as visitors were ringing in the New Year.
What happened in Crans-Montana?
A police spokesperson said more than 100 people had been in the bar at the time of the incident. Police, firefighters and several helicopters were on site in the aftermath.
"Several dozen people are presumed to have died," Frederic Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told reporters earlier.
Police said that many people had been treated for burns.
"The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called 'Le Constellation,'" police spokesperson Gaetan Lathion said on Thursday. "More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead."
Swiss investigators have said that the deadly fire that broke out at a bar in the Swiss Alps likely caused an explosion.
Police have ruled out an attack, but were still probing the incident to learn what caused the fire.
Initial reports on Thursday morning said a fire had started after an explosion was heard.
"There are several hypotheses, but our main theory is that the entire room caught fire, leading to an explosion," Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud told reporters.
Mobile phones found at the scene were being examined, she said.
Pilloud also declined to comment on reports that the fire was started by lit candles stuck in champagne bottles or fireworks.
Investigators begin urgent task of identifying victims
Nicolas Feraud, mayor of Crans-Montana, said the most pressing task was to identify the victims.
"The first objective is to assign names to all the bodies," he said, adding that the process could take days.
Valais Canton police commander Frederic Gisler said the community was "devastated."
Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais, said experts were using dental and DNA samples for the task.
"All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure," he said.
Swiss president declares 5 days of mourning
Switzerland has announced five days of national mourning for the victims of the Le Constellation bar fire in Crans-Montana, starting on Thursday.
Flags have been lowered to half-mast on public buildings across the country in memory of those killed.
Impromptu vigils have been held outside the cordoned-off bar site, with residents and friends laying flowers and lighting candles.
A special New Year's Mass at the Church of Montana Station drew hundreds of worshippers.
President Guy Parmelin canceled his New Year's address to the nation out of respect for the grieving families.
The process of supporting families, identifying victims and treating the injured is expected to take several days.
Read: Fire in Indonesian Retirement Home Kills 16
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