Le bar de Crans-Montana Fire: Fire in a bar in Switzerland… 40 killed, more than 110 injured

Geneva. Nearly 40 people have been killed and more than 110 injured in a fire that broke out in a bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort in the Valais canton of south-western Switzerland. The local police gave this information on Thursday. Valais canton police chief Friedrich Geisler confirmed the number of casualties at a news conference held in the afternoon.

“According to us about 40 people have died and 115 have been injured, most of them seriously,” Geisler told reporters. According to police, the majority of the injured, mostly youths, were flown to hospitals in Sion, the capital of the Valais canton, as well as hospitals in other cities including Lausanne, Zurich and Geneva.

Matthias Renard, president of the Valais cantonal government, said some of the injured could later be transferred to foreign hospitals. Local media, quoting police, had earlier said that a massive fire broke out in a bar in the center of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve. The alarm was raised shortly after 1:30 a.m. local time, prompting dozens of ambulances and helicopters to be dispatched.

Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin described the incident as one of the worst tragedies in the country’s history. Mr. Parmelin said that the government expresses its condolences to all the families. Mr Parmelin further said that flags at the Federal Palace would remain at half-mast for five days and stressed that it was necessary to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Beatrice Pillaud, attorney general of the Valais canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. According to media reports, the number of people present in the bar at the time of the incident is unknown. The government said the investigation would take time and identifying the victims was proving challenging. Mr Parmelin postponed his New Year address and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. The Valais cantonal administration has declared a state of emergency in the canton.

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