Credit: via X
The New Year’s Eve party was underway when tragedy struck.
As about 200 revelers celebrated in the packed basement of Le Constellation bar, a barmaid carrying a bottle of champagne covered in glitter made her way through the crowd.
The maid, carried on the shoulders of a colleague, held the bottle above her head near the basement ceiling, setting it on fire, witnesses said.
Footage showed flames quickly spreading across the ceiling above the bar as music continued to play around 1.30am local time on New Year’s Day.
Crowds of revelers, the vast majority between the ages of 15 and 20, rushed to escape up a narrow flight of stairs through a single door. Others tried to break windows to escape as the fire began to spread to the ground floor.
At least 40 were killed and 115 were injured. Many of the victims are believed to have been trapped in the basement of the bar, witnesses said, with reports suggesting there were not enough emergency exits.
Credit: via X
Police are investigating whether the bar, which videos show was densely packed, exceeded the legal limit on the number of patrons. Videos showed youths running out of the place as the fire spread.
Emma, a French witness, said the fire spread “in seconds”, telling French news station BFMTV: “Some bottles were near the ceiling and caught fire. The whole ceiling was on fire and the fire spread very quickly. It happened in seconds. We all ran outside, screaming and crying.
“I saw a young man writhing in agony on the floor. His body and hair were badly burned and half of his face was gone. I think he must have died.”
Parents raced to the scene from around the city and beyond, trying to find out if their children were trapped inside.
The luxury town of Crans-Montana, 40 miles north of the Matterhorn and about 150 miles from Zurich, is popular with tourists from the UK and elsewhere, who go there for the skiing and party atmosphere.
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Described by some as “the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve” in the city, Le Constellation was packed with young people, mostly between the ages of 15 and 20, witnesses said.
“The party was in full swing … music and champagne flowing freely,” according to an eyewitness.
The lighting of sparks in bottles in the cramped confines of the basement even appeared in a promotional video for the location previously posted on social media.
It showed waitresses wearing hard hats walking around the club, waving pyrotechnics burning from bottles of Dom Perignon champagne precariously close to the beamed ceiling.
Credit: YouTube / Constellation Crans Montana
Another witness, named Albane, said he saw the ceiling catch fire after the fireworks were lit in the glass. “It was clearly accidental,” she added.
A young man watching from across the street said he saw about 20 people struggling to escape the smoke and flames.
Likening what he witnessed to “a horror film”, he told The Telegraph: “We’re devastated. It looks like there were sparklers. They should be banned.”
“How did this happen? I heard screams afterwards. People ran everywhere and then the fire engines came.”
Referring to the spark that caused the fire, a bus driver told The Telegraph: “They are banned in many clubs and should not be allowed near crowded places. This is an absolute tragedy.”
The narrow stairs in the basement of Le Constellation
The local authority in Crans-Montana has banned fireworks and sparklers during New Year’s Eve celebrations amid fears that a lack of rain over the past month has left conditions dangerously dry, increasing the risk that fires could catch and spread quickly.
A local resident reported hearing loud explosions coming from the vicinity of Le Constellation.
“I heard a series of massive bangs that sounded like bombs going off. It was crazy,” they said. “I live hundreds of meters from the bar. I heard screaming and yelling and people running.”
Adrien, an eyewitness who was outside the bar when the fire broke out, described the horror of seeing those inside running for their lives. He said: “There was a young man with burns on the pavement who kept saying, ‘It hurts, it hurts, please call an ambulance.’
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene, with emergency services from neighboring countries deployed to support the rescue operation.
The intensive care unit and the operating room at the regional hospital were overwhelmed with casualties. Those suffering from the worst burns were sent to university hospitals in Switzerland.
With the scale of the tragedy quickly becoming apparent, authorities urged residents to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid putting further strain on the medical system.
Credit: Tiktok / Ladzdrie92i
Michela Ris, the deputy mayor of the Swiss town of Ascona, who was in Crans-Montana to celebrate New Year’s Eve, described how she frantically searched for friends on New Year’s morning.
“Some acquaintances told me that young people left the bar covered in blood, some without clothes. It was a real bloodbath,” she told Swiss media.
“We have friends who don’t respond to messages. Maybe they’re just sleeping, but we don’t know if, after being at our house, they went straight home or if they went to have a last drink, maybe even in the club where the tragedy happened.
“We are very concerned and trying to contact everyone one by one to make sure they are OK. We are devastated.”
About 50 family members were waiting for news of their missing loved ones.
As morning broke, residents and commuters gathered outside the building, many in tears, devastated by the night’s events in their city.
As the region declared a period of mourning, Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government, told reporters: “Tonight should have been a moment of celebration and meeting – but it turned into a nightmare.”
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