Deadly bar fire hits Alps resort at New Year – DW – 01/01/2026

Investigators have said the deadly fire at a bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana was an accident, officials said.

Stephane Ganzer, the Valais state councillor responsible for security, said initial findings and witness statements showed the blaze was not caused by an explosive device.

Public Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud has also said an attack could be ruled out as the cause of the deadly fire and explosion.

Crans-Montana is a well-known Alpine resort in Switzerland’s Valais region, regarded as an upscale holiday destination. It has long attracted international visitors and public figures, including the late James Bond actor Roger Moore.

The resort sits at around 1,500 meters (about 5,000 feet) above sea level and offers a large ski area. It also regularly hosts major sporting events, including Ski World Cup races held in late January.

During peak holiday periods, Crans-Montana is typically fully booked. The municipality has roughly 10,000 residents and around 2,600 hotel beds, including eight luxury hotels, along with hundreds of holiday apartments.

Tourism is central to the local economy, with about one million overnight stays each year. Roughly 20% of visitors come from outside Switzerland, according to the local tourism authority.

The nearest major international airport is Geneva, located about 180 kilometers away by road.

Several dozen people were killed and others injured after a blast at the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, Swiss police said early Thursday.

Police said the blast occurred at around 1:30 a.m. (0030 UTC/GMT) local time at Le Constellation, a venue popular with tourists, as visitors were ringing in the New Year.

A police spokesperson said more than 100 people had been in the bar at the time of the incident. Police, firefighters and several helicopters were on site in the aftermath. The reason for the explosion was initially given to be “unknown.”

“Several dozen people are presumed to have died,” Frederic Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told reporters.

Police said earlier that many people had been treated for burns.

“The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,'” police spokesperson Gaetan Lathion said. “More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead.”

“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said. “We are seeing many injured and many dead.”

Police said the area had been completely closed off, and a no-fly zone was ‍imposed over Crans-Montana.

Welcome to DW’s news coverage of events in Switzerland.

You join us after a fire ripped through a bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana, as revellers rang in the New Year, killing and injuring several people.

We’ll be following this breaking news story throughout the day.