At least 47 people were killed in a Swiss ski resort nightclub inferno so intense that some bodies were burned beyond recognition after witnesses said a champagne bottle topped with “birthday candles” was raised too close to the club’s low wooden ceiling.
The blaze erupted at Le Constellation, a low-ceilinged basement bar, where promotional videos showed waitresses weaving through the crowd with flaming champagne bottles held aloft and nearly brushing against the ceiling — a party gimmick witnesses say turned deadly.
The fire triggered a rapid “flashover,” igniting everything combustible in the room at once and sending panicked patrons scrambling toward the bar’s single staircase exit, witnesses said.
At least 115 people were injured, many seriously, as the flames and smoke tore through the crowded basement during the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Prosecutors said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but authorities have ruled out terrorism or foul play and said the fire appeared to be an accident.
The area around the burned-out bar remained cordoned off as investigators continued to interview witnesses and collect evidence to determine how the fire began.
Officials said victims were believed to be from several countries, and foreign governments were working with Swiss authorities to determine whether their nationals were among the dead.
Italian authorities said 16 Italians were still missing and 15 were hospitalized, while France’s foreign ministry said at least eight French nationals were unaccounted for following the blaze.
A French professional soccer club said one of its teenage players was seriously injured in the fire.
The team, FC Metz, confirmed that 19-year-old Tahirys Dos Santos suffered severe burns in the New Year’s Eve blaze.
FC Metz — which competes in France’s pro soccer system — said Dos Santos had been vacationing with friends in Crans-Montana when he was hurt in the inferno at the Le Constellation nightclub. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Germany, where he remains under medical care.
Authorities warned that naming the victims and establishing a final death toll would take time, saying many of the bodies were burned so badly that authorities have to rely on DNA and dental records to determine identities. Many people still remain missing.
Switzerland’s burn centers were quickly overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, forcing authorities to transfer some of the most seriously injured victims to hospitals in neighboring countries, officials said.
Hundreds of people gathered near the burned-out bar in the upscale Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, laying flowers and candles as families waited anxiously for word on missing relatives and friends.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the blaze “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known,” saying most of the victims were young people celebrating the New Year.
King Charles also expressed his condolences following the deadly disaster.
“It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy,” the king said in a message to Parmelin sent Thursday evening.
Crans-Montana, which is normally packed with tourists celebrating the holiday, is scheduled to host next year’s Alpine World Ski Championships, a global event that will draw athletes, officials and spectators from around the world to the same resort now grappling with one of the deadliest fires in Swiss history.
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