A fire that erupted during New Year’s celebrations at a Swiss ski resort bar has killed at least 40 people and injured 115 others, many of them severely, police confirmed.
The blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. local time (00:30 GMT) on Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar in the popular resort of Crans-Montana in southern Switzerland.
Authorities have categorically ruled out an attack as a cause but have not yet determined what sparked the fire. The victims are from multiple countries, complicating the response.
Regional police commander Frédéric Gisler said the priority in the coming days was to identify those who had died “so that their bodies can be returned rapidly to their families.”
By James Kisoo
