Several dozen believed dead in Swiss bar explosion, 'not a terrorist attack': What we know so far

The fire started around 1:30 a.m. amid New Year's celebrations in a bar called ‘Le Constellation' in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana.

Updated on: Jan 1, 2026, 19:28:16 IST

By HT News Desk

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The New Year's celebrations at a Swiss Alps bar turned tragic on Thursday after fire ravaged through it, leaving several dozens dead. While dozens of people are presumed dead, around 100 others have been injured after a fire ripped through the crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said on Thursday.

Rescuers are seen at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026. (AFP)

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Swiss media further reported that hospitals were receiving cases of burn injuries.

The fire broke out when revellers were partying inside the bar in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, police was quoted as saying. Swiss news outlet Blick reported that the explosion and the subsequent fire may have been caused by pyrotechnics during a concert.

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Here is what we know about the incident so far:

The fire started around 1:30 a.m. amid New Year's celebrations in a bar called ‘Le Constellation, police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion was quoted as saying by AP.
Police said more than a hundred people were in the building at the time of the blaze. "We are seeing many injured and many dead,” the police said.
"Several dozen people are presumed to have died," Frederic Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told reporters, adding that around 100 people had been wounded.
Police said the investigation has just begun and the fire took place at an internationally known ski resort with lots of tourists.
While police initially termed the cause of the fire as an “explosion of unknown origin” Swiss media suggested that the fire may have started when pyrotechnics were used during a concert.
Police said the areas was "completely closed to the public", and that “a no-fly zone over Crans Montana has been imposed”, AFP reported.
The fire incident is not being treated as terror related, police has confirmed. "At the moment we are considering this a fire and we are not considering the possibility of an attack," prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud told a press conference, according to Reuters.

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