Crans-Montana: At least 47 dead in fire, 13 Italians hospitalized, and six missing

A blaze likely started by candles attached to champagne bottles, sparks from which reached the wooden ceiling, transforming the bar into a trap of smoke and flames within seconds. This currently appears to be the most likely cause of the fire at Le Constellation in Crans Montana, a popular Swiss ski resort. The blaze killed at least 47 people, mostly young people in their twenties, who were gathered to celebrate the New Year. They were engulfed in flames that quickly spread throughout most of the bar, also injuring around a hundred people, many of them seriously.

Official reports speak of at least 47 deaths and over 115 injuries, many of them in serious condition, and the identification of the victims is still ongoing due to the severe burns suffered by the occupants of the building. 

19 Italian citizens were involved, with six missing and 13 hospitalized in various hospitals in Switzerland. Italy's Foreign Minister Tajani emphasized the difficulty of identification, explaining that many of the injured "have no documents" or are unconscious in intensive care, and that some families are still in a "limbo of uncertainty and terror."  He confirmed these numbers, stating that "the only certain news is that six Italians are missing and 13 are hospitalized," reiterating the considerable confusion in initial communications about the tragedy. 

The tragedy occurred around 1:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026, when a fire broke out inside the Le Constellation bar, a popular New Year's Eve hotspot, quickly engulfing the building. Initial speculation suggested that a flammable object (such as a candle or a pyrotechnic spark tied to a bottle) triggered the blaze, which spread within seconds due to the wooden ceiling and combustible materials, causing a phenomenon known as "flashover." The basement venue, with narrow escape routes, was crowded with people celebrating New Year's Eve when the flames erupted. Witnesses described scenes of panic, with many trying to escape by breaking windows or becoming trapped in the narrow stairwells.

Swiss authorities have ruled out terrorism or criminal intent as the cause of the fire and have focused their investigation on possible fire safety violations or overcrowding in the venue.

Rescue workers, including over 150 workers, ten helicopters, and forty ambulances, worked through the night to transport the injured to hospitals and provide care to the victims. Swiss authorities are continuing to identify the victims, an operation that could take several days due to the condition of the bodies.

Health authorities are also coordinating the transfer of the injured to specialized burn treatment centers, including hospitals in other regions and neighboring countries. This is the case with the Niguarda Hospital, which yesterday welcomed "a 29-year-old woman and two 16-year-old men, who arrived at the Major Burns Center of the Niguarda Hospital in Milan via helicopter rescue from Switzerland," according to the president of the region, Attilio Fontana.

As stated previously, several dozen people are feared to have been killed, and around 100 were injured after an explosion at a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort in Valais Canton of southwestern Switzerland on Thursday.