Swiss investigators rush to identify 47 victims of New Year's fire

Published: 09:38 AM, 2 Jan, 2026
Latest, World
Swiss investigators rush to identify 47 victims of New Year's fire
Caption: Video grab
AFP

Investigators raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year's celebration into one of the country's worst tragedies.

It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing at least 47 people and injuring at least 115 others, many seriously.

Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, leaving an agonising wait for family and friends.

"We've tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them," said Eleonore, 17. "But there's nothing. No response."

"Even the parents don't know," she added.

The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.

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

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, called the fire "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions", and announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

He said authorities were "in close contact with the victims' families, whom we are informing in real time, as well as with the various embassies involved".

"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," he told reporters.

The canton's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said significant resources have been deployed "to identify the victims and return their bodies to the families as quickly as possible".

- 'The apocalypse' -

The fire broke out around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists.

"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war," Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP. "That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse. It was terrible."

Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.

Several witness accounts, broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media, meanwhile pointed to sparklers that were apparently mounted on champagne bottles held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" for patrons who made special orders to their tables.

There were "waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire", Axel, a witness present at the time of the incident, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

Pilloud said the investigation would look into whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.

Red and white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens.

After the emergency units at the local hospitals filled up, many of the injured were transported across Switzerland and to neighbouring countries.

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 being cared for in French hospitals.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.

The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.

Multiple sources told AFP that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.

Tears, stunned silence at vigil

Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed in a blaze as they celebrated the New Year.

Many of those who came to mourn the tragedy stood, motionless, overlooking the scene. People spoke in whispers, if at all.

"I wasn't (at the bar) myself, but I had many friends and relatives who were," said one young mourner, who gave his surname as Orosstevic.

"Some died, others are in the hospital. About 10," he told AFP.

"They're mostly friends of my parents, but I know them very well."

Orosstevic said he had bought flowers to lay down "as a small tribute". "May they rest in peace."

- Shock -

Nearby, some friends hugged, sobbing. Men stood looking straight ahead with stunned, damp eyes.

Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP at the vigil: "It's a bar where we meet up with lots of friends, really, almost every weekend. It was one of the only weekends we weren't there.

"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war. That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse. It was terrible."

Paulo Martins, a French citizen who has lived in the area for 24 years, told AFP: "My son could very well have been in there. He wasn't far away.

"He was with his girlfriend; they were supposed to go in. And in the end, they didn't make it there," he said.

"When he came home, he was really in shock."

A friend of his 17-year-old son has been transferred for treatment in Germany, with his body 30 percent covered in burns.

Mourners laid tributes on a table temporarily put up at the entrance of the road leading down to the bar, which was blocked from view by white screens.

Two police officers stood guard at the cordon.

A steady stream of people brought candles and flowers.

As the table filled, people began to place individual candles on the frozen ground.

Some of those gathered could barely voice their emotions.

"There are dead and injured, and we have someone close to us who is still missing. We have no news of them," said one woman who did not want to be identified.

After laying flowers with her friend, they walked away, arm in arm.

"They were young people, and people we know," said another woman, who declined to give her name.

Asked whether she knew what happened to them, she said: "Some, no."

- Pain -

The Christmas lights are still twinkling in the town, but several bars closed out of respect.

Earlier, at the Montana-Station church, a mass remembered those who had lost their lives.

"There were a lot of people, it was very solemn, and there was a beautiful sermon about hope. At least let us have that: hope," said local churchgoer Jean-Claude.

One young man, who could barely speak due to the emotion, said: "We just knew a lot of friends of friends who were there. And we pay them respect."

One mourner, Mina, said her son frequented the popular bar.

"Last night, it was just a coincidence that he wasn't there," she told AFP.

"There is a waitress he knows, she serves him all the time, he's very friendly with her and unfortunately, she's gone."

Veronica, an elderly Italian mourner who has lived in Crans-Montana for 40 years, wiped a stream of tears from her cheeks.

She said: "The pain of others is everyone's pain."

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