LONDON – “Several” dozens of people died and about 100 others were injured early New Year’s Day, when a fire broke out at a popular bar in a resort in the Swiss Alps, police said.
Valais canton police said in a statement that a fire of “unidentified origin” broke out in the “Le Constellation” bar in Crans-Montana at around 1:30 a.m. local time.
Rescuers and firefighters work at the site of the explosion at a bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP via Getty Images
Investigators were working Thursday to determine the cause of the fire, officials said during a morning news conference. They added that the incident was not being investigated as an attack.
“What should have been a moment of joy turned into a tragedy in Crans-Montana last night, a tragedy that affects the whole of Switzerland and the world,” said Guy Parmelin, the minister who assumed the rotating Swiss presidency on Thursday. He said In German on social media. “The Federal Council has taken note of this tragedy with deep horror.”
The interior building in which a fire broke out, killing and injuring people, during a New Year’s celebration in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, January 1, 2026.
Valisan Canton Police/AFP
Officials described the emergency response as “significant”, adding that the area near the Alpine Bar was closed to the public.
The police said in its statement: “A large contingent of police, firefighters and rescue personnel immediately moved to the scene to assist the numerous victims.”
Rescuers at the site of the explosion that occurred in a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 1, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP via Getty Images
The police said in their statement that a no-fly zone had been imposed over Crans-Montana. The resort town is popular with skiers and is located in the Sierre region of southern Switzerland in the canton of Valais.
Police did not reveal the identities of those killed in the fire. Officials said Thursday that it was possible, given the area’s popularity with travellers, that some of the deceased were tourists who traveled to the alpine town to ski and celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Police officers walk at the site of a fire that broke out in a bar in Crans-Montana, in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, on January 1, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP via Getty Images
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that at least two French nationals were among those injured. The ministry said that both were being treated in local hospitals. The ministry added that French officials are “in constant contact with the Swiss authorities in case other citizens are affected.”
ABC News’ Tom Sophie Burridge contributed to this report.
