About 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana as young revellers rang in the new year, police have said.

Horrified bystanders described “panic” as people tried to break through the windows of the bar to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.

Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, which is set to host the Ski World Cup from January 30, after the fire broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Frederic Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told reporters that authorities had counted “around 40 people who have died and around 115 injured, most of them seriously”.

On Thursday evening (local time), around 400 people gathered for a church service in Crans-Montana in honour of the victims, while Bern announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

This was “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced”, Guy Parmelin, who took over the Swiss presidency on Thursday, told reporters.

Rescuers and firefighters work at the site of a fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP

“It constitutes a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions.”

‘In shock’

Alexis Laguerre, an 18-year-old, had been walking with a group of friends past the Le Constellation bar, a popular spot with young people and tourists, when they noticed smoke and flames emerging from the venue and called the police. “I am in shock,” Laguerre told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

“People were running through the flames. People were using chairs to try to break the windows.”

Two young French women, Emma and Albane, told French broadcaster BFMTV that they had been able to escape the “panic” in the bar shortly after the fire broke out.

In this screenshot from a video provided by the Valais Cantonal Police, seats are overturned outside Le Constellation bar where a fire broke out inside in the early hours of January 1, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Photo / Valais Cantonal Police via Getty Images

They said “birthday candles” placed on champagne bottles had got too close to the ceiling.

“Seconds later, the entire ceiling was burning,” one of them told the broadcaster, estimating that there were around 200 people in the venue at the time, mainly aged between 15 and 20.

A tourist from New York, who filmed bright orange flames pouring from the bar, told AFP he saw people running and screaming.

Authorities said they were still investigating the causes of the fire, which erupted shortly before 1.30am, but said they did not believe it had been caused by an “attack”.

Flowers and candles have been laid on the ground near the bar Le Constellation following the fire. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP

The emergency units at Wallis hospitals had filled up, and many of the injured were transported to various hospitals across Switzerland, as neighbouring countries also offering to step up.

More than 30 victims had been taken to hospitals in Zurich and Lausanne, which have specialised burn units, and six had been taken to Geneva, Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency reported.

The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were already being cared for in French hospitals.

Rush to identify victims

Swiss authorities said investigations were underway to identify the victims, warning the process “could take several days, even weeks”.

Given Crans-Montana’s popularity with tourists around the world, a police statement said it was clear “the victims have diverse nationalities”.

The area around the bar Le Constellation after a fire ripped through the venue during the New Year's Eve celebrations in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana. Photo / Maxime Schmid, AFP

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.

At least two French citizens were among the injured, according to initial reports from the French foreign ministry.

Le Constellation has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

The bar is owned by a French couple, according to a local business registry and friends of the owners.

‘Screaming for help’

Early reports had suggested a large explosion might have caused the fire.

But Stephane Ganzer, head of Wallis’ security department, said that “the initial investigation shows the explosion was in fact a consequence of the fire”.

Le Constellation was a popular bar in Crans-Montana. Photo / Google Maps

“There is absolutely no question of a terrorist attack,” stressed Pilloud, the prosecutor.

Alex, 21, meanwhile told RTS that he had arrived at the scene shortly after a loud explosion sounded.

Enveloped in a strong smell of gas mixed with the smell of melted plastic, he said he saw people fleeing the bar with burns and “people screaming for help”.

Then he said he remembered that there was only a narrow set of stairs up from a large basement locale in the building, and worried dozens might remain trapped.

“That sent shivers down my spine,” he said.

- Agence France-Presse