Several killed in blaze at Swiss ski resort town: Police | News

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The New Year’s Eve fire occurred in a bar called Le Constellation in the Swiss town of Crans Montana.

Several people have been killed and others injured after a blaze ripped through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans Montana, Swiss police have said.

“The fire started around 1:30 am [00:30 GMT] this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,’” as revellers rang in the new year, police spokesperson Gaetan Lathion said on Thursday.

“More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead.”

Earlier media reports said there had been an explosion, but a police statement called the blaze “a fire of undetermined origin”.

“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said.

A reception centre and helpline have been set up for impacted families, he added.

A medical source told national broadcaster RTS that hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland were overwhelmed with burn victims in the aftermath of the blaze.

Crans Montana is situated in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn.

Images published by Swiss media showed a building in flames, and emergency services nearby.

The area has been completely ‌closed off, ‌and a ⁠no-fly zone has been imposed over Crans-Montana, ‌the police said in a statement.

“The intervention is still ongoing,” Lathion said.

A news conference has been scheduled by police for 10am (08:00 GMT) in Crans Montana.

This is a developing story. More to follow…