About 40 people died and 115 were injured when a fire broke out at a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on Thursday.
Police said the fire started at 1:30 am (12:30 am GMT) out in the basement and spread to the ground floor of the Le Constellation bar in the resort in south-western Switzerland, according to news reports.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the disaster as "one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known" and said most of the dead were young people.
"What was meant to be a moment of joy turned, on the first day of the year in Crans-Montana, into mourning that touches the entire country and far beyond," Parmelin said on the social media platform X.
Regional Police Commander Frédéric Gisler said it was too early to identity the dead and injured who, witnesses said, appeared to be from different countries.
Witnesses said the fire was caused by sparklers or candles in bottles, according to this CNN news report but, authorities said it was an accident rather than an attack and would take time to determine what started the blaze.
Video footage showed fire spreading from the building and witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion as people rushed to escape.
"There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead," 21-year-old Samuel Rapp was quoted in this Reuters story as saying. "They had jackets over their faces."
Thirteen helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were sent to the scene of the fire in the Valais region, which is popular with tourists.
Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said an investigation had been opened into the blaze.
Most of the injured suffered severe burns and 60 people were sent to Sion hospital in Valais, with a "significant number" in a critical condition, Regional governor Mathias Reynard said.
