At least 40 dead and 115 injured, most seriously, in a fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans Montana

The Swiss authorities have confirmed that at least 40 people have died and 115 have been injured, in a very serious way, as a result of the bart  explosion at a bar at theCrans Montana ski resortin Switzerland and the subsequent fire, and what needed a party to receive the new year has become a tragedy. 

"Dozens of people have died, "confirmed Thursday morning Frederic Gisler, commander of the Cantonal Police of Valais, at a press conference.

For the time being, there is no official information on the identity of the deceased.

"Priority shall be given to the identification of the dead, so that the bodies may be returned immediately to the families," explained the French commander.

Canton President Matthias Reynard has also lamented that the identification process will look longer than usual at the "critical situation" caused by "serious injuries and severe burns."

However, the authorities have confirmed the presence of foreigners among the dead, including two French.

The wounded have been transferred to several hospitals, to the most serious hospital in Zion, the capital of Valais, where operating rooms and intensive care units are located, as explained by the canton's Health Officer, Mathias Reynard. 

In addition, a reception point has been established to provide psychological assistance to the families of the victims and witnesses to the accident.

According to the residents interviewed by EFE on the ground, the bar "Le Constellation" is located in a kind of underground area that is accessed by stairs, which may make it difficult for those inside at the time of the fire to leave quickly. 

Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances and about 150 personnel, including firefighters, rescue teams and other emergency personnel, were mobilized last night.  

The attack hypothesis is ruled out.

According to the evidence collected so far, the authorities have completely ruled out the hypothesis of the attack, since it has been concluded that the explosion that was heard around 01:30 was caused by the fire itself. "It was by no means an attack," said the Attorney General of the Canton of Valais, Beatice Pillaud. 

In the absence of more detailed information, the authorities refuse to speculate on the causes of the fire and refuse to answer the question of whether the premises were complying with security measures. 

Testimonies

According to information collected by the Reuters agency, two French women who claimed they were in the bar when the fire broke out have told the French television station BFM TV how the fire originated in the club's basement. According to them, the source of the tragedy was flares or pyrotechnic artifacts placed in bottles of champagne, according to which the fire originated when some flare approached the wooden ceiling.

"The fire suddenly spread all over the roof," one of the two women told BFM TV. They both reported that they climbed a narrow staircase to the morning floor and managed to escape the building amid chaos and panic.

These testimonies have not been contrasted with other sources, but some Reuters verified videos show the fire coming out of the building, people running outside and screaming.