A devastating blaze swept through a bar in a Swiss Alps resort town during New Year’s celebrations, killing approximately 40 people and injuring over 100, Swiss police reported on Thursday (January 1, 2026). The fire erupted in the early hours of the morning as partygoers celebrated the arrival of the new year.
Among the victims, 16 Italians are reported missing, while around a dozen more Italian nationals are being treated in hospitals following the blaze, according to Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
“Several tens of people” were killed at the bar, Le Constellation, Valais Canton police commander Frederic Gisler said during a news conference.
According to a police statement on Thursday, a fire erupted at 1:30am (00:30 GMT) at Le Constellation, a bar located in the heart of the upscale Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland. The bar is a well-known attraction for tourists in the area. Swiss media outlet Blick, citing police, reported that over 100 individuals were present during the incident. Crans-Montana is about 200km south of the Swiss capital, Bern.
The cause and spread of the fire remain uncertain. Nonetheless, on Thursday, The Associated Press reported that Swiss authorities referred to the fire as an “embrasement generalise”. This term, used in French firefighting, describes a scenario where a fire emits flammable gases that can “ignite violently, leading to what English-speaking firefighters term as a flashover or a backdraft”.
Frederic Gisler, police commander in Valais canton, confirmed Thursday that about 40 people were killed and 115 injured in the blaze. Hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland were overwhelmed with burn victims, many in serious condition. Police added that some victims were from other countries, with bodies expected to take days to return to families.