“It is assumed that several dozen people are dead,” police commander Frederic Gisler told the press, adding that there were around a hundred injured. Everyone “will be treated,” he added. According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Swiss police this Thursday (01/01/2026) put the death toll in the fire during a New Year’s Eve party in the tourist resort of Crans Montana at around forty.
He added that the fire was probably not started. The victims could not be immediately identified due to the severity of their burns, the Italian ministry added.
Hypothesis of a terrorist attack ruled out
The Valais cantonal police ruled out the hypothesis of an attack as the cause of the fire, which occurred after an explosion of still unknown origin. “Given the scale of this drama, it is understandable that we are only at the beginning of the investigation and have not yet been able to identify all the victims, but it is likely that in a station as international as Crans we will have to mourn victims from abroad,” Gisler told the Efe agency.
Hours after the event, ambulances were still parked outside the bar with their windows broken. Local media reported a “burning smell still in the air.” Local media suspected the fire may have been caused by the use of pyrotechnics during a concert, but police said the cause was unknown.
lgc (rtr, afp, efe)
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