Shafaq News- Crans-Montana

40 people were killed while 100 others were injured, most of them critically, in a fire caused by an explosion at a mountain resort in the Swiss Alps, Swiss police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred during New Year’s Eve celebrations at a bar in the resort of Crans-Montana, located in the Valais canton in southwestern Switzerland. Authorities said the blast happened shortly after 1:30 a.m. local time.

Crans-Montana is a well-known ski resort in the Swiss Alps, located about 40 kilometers north of the Matterhorn, one of the region’s most famous peaks.

Gaëtan Laton, a police spokesperson in the area, told Agence France-Presse that the explosion occurred inside a bar known as “Le Constellation.” He said the source of the blast was not yet known and confirmed multiple deaths and injuries.

According to police, the venue, which has an indoor capacity of around 300 people and space for an additional 40 on a terrace, was crowded with New Year’s Eve revelers at the time of the explosion. Rescue and firefighting operations continued for hours at the site.

Authorities sealed off the entire area around the resort and imposed a temporary no-fly zone to allow emergency helicopters to operate safely.

Images published by Swiss media showed a building consumed by fire, with ambulances, police vehicles, and emergency crews surrounding the site. The cause and nature of the explosion had not been determined.

The Valais public prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said it was too early to establish the origin of the fire, noting that forensic experts had not yet been able to enter the debris.

Matthias Reynard, a member of the regional municipal council, said the number of injured was so high that intensive care units and operating rooms at the regional hospital quickly reached full capacity.

Swiss officials said air ambulances and ground emergency vehicles were used to transport the wounded, including foreign nationals of various nationalities. The municipality of Crans-Montana clarified on its website that it had banned the use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve due to low rainfall over the past month.