Around 40 people are feared dead and 100 others injured after an explosion at a luxury ski resort in Switzerland during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

A woman who witnessed the blaze start said fire broke out when a waiter, carried on a colleague’s shoulders, held a candle too close to the ceiling.

The blast occurred at around 1.30am local time (12.30am GMT) in the Constellation Bar, located in the centre of the Alpine town of Crans-Montana.

Foreign tourists are among the victims, according to local officials.

Images published by local media show a building engulfed in flames and emergency services nearby.

Swiss daily Blick cited a doctor at the scene suggesting that the death toll could be in the ‘dozens’, while daily Le Nouvelliste said its sources were describing ‘a heavy toll’, with ‘around 40 dead and 100 injured’.

A survivor of the blaze told French news channel BFM: ‘During the evening, a waiter climbed onto another waiter’s shoulders.

‘He was holding a birthday candle, which was very close to the ceiling, and [the ceiling] caught fire in a couple of minutes.’

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The blast occurred at around 1.30am local time (12.30am GMT) in the Constellation Bar in Crans-Montana as revellers celebrated the New Year

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Image from the scene shows emergency services scrambling to the bar in the early hours of this morning

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Rescuers and fire-fighters work at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026

Another women said: ‘The staircase leading out of the nightclub was extremely narrow. There was a huge surge in the crowd. We managed to escape just in time.’

Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirmed the fire ‘started in the basement of the bar’ and there was a crush as people desperately tried to get out via the single staircase.

Another witness, Emma, said the fire seemed to start after people celebrated with champagne bottles that contained candles.

‘Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying,’ she told BFM.

Victoria gave a similar testimony. ‘It was firework candles inside a champagne bottle that caused the explosion. The entire ceiling of the bar caught fire,’ she said.

‘All the windows were black and opaque with smoke,’ she added. She believes many of the victims suffocated.

‘Some people smashed windows to let in air,’ she said. ‘I’m still shaking; many were crying as they left. It was mass panic.’

Albane, also at the bar, painted a picture of terrifying chaos as she described how people panicked and scrambled for the exit. ‘It was packed with people when the fire started,’ she said. ‘It was clearly accidental.’

She added that she saw the ceiling catch fire after sparkler was lit in a bottle on a high table.

Adrien was also at the Constellation Bar when chaos ensued. ‘We saw people smashing windows, running and screaming,’ he said. ‘Parents were racing up in their cars. It was like a horror movie.’

Other reports suggest the blast may have been caused by fireworks – however police say this is yet to be confirmed.

A witness added that ‘countless’ ambulances and several helicopters raced to the scene.

‘There has been an explosion of unknown origin,’ Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesman in Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland said.

Around 100 people had gathered at the bar, which has a capacity of up to 300 and another 40 on its small terrace.

A doctor in the Swiss air ambulance and rescue service said hospitals are ‘overwhelmed with burn victims’ in comments made to local media.

A tourist from New York filmed bright orange flames pouring from the bar, and told AFP he saw people running and screaming in the dark.

‘Several people lost their lives and others were injured,’ a police statement said, describing the incident as ‘serious’ and adding that ‘a major emergency response is underway’.

‘A large contingent of police, firefighters, and rescue workers immediately went to the scene to assist the numerous victims,’ it said.

‘The operation is still ongoing.’

The Italian foreign ​ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths, but police would not be ⁠more specific than ‘tens’ at a press conference on the incident.

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Swiss emergency services at scene

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Two helicopters to assist rescue efforts after the fire

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Witnesses believe the blaze was caused by a birthday candle put inside a champagne bottle in the basement of the venue in the Alpine town of Crans-Montana.

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Inside the Constellation Bar following the blaze

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Several people were killed and others injured when an explosion ripped through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans Montana

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A helpline has been set up for families seeking information about loved ones

Some of the victims are from other countries, said Stephane Ganzer, head of security for the Valais canton.

Authorities ‍said 10 helicopters ‍and 40 ambulances had been mobilised.

Ambulances were still parked outside the bar hours later, and broken windows could be seen. Local media described a ‘smell of burning still in the air’.

Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort town located in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

It is approximately two hours from the Swiss capital of Bern and is popular with British tourists.

Police said a no-fly zone is in place over the resort and the area remains completely cordoned off.

‘The party was in full swing… music and champagne flowing freely,’ a resident who said they lived nearby told 24 heures, a Lausanne newspaper.

But as news of the fire broke, they said, the carefree mood vanished and people began gathering in the street.

‘We could hear the sirens in the distance. Around me, people were stunned, worried, silent.’

‘We heard helicopters all night long,’ another neighbour told 24 heures.

‘With the fireworks, we didn’t understand what was going on at first. Then we saw the smoke. It’s terrible, a lot of young people go to that bar.’

‘The fire started around 1.30am this morning in a bar called Le Constellation,’ police spokesperson Lathion said.

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A banner stating that fireworks are prohibited due to the risk of fire is installed near the site where the blaze broke out at the Le Constellation bar

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A red staircase in the Constellation Bar

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Fire spread quickly at the venue, pictured above

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The Constellation Bar is popular among young Swiss people and tourists

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It is in the centre of the Alpine town of Crans-Montana

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Its normal closing time is 2.00am local time, which would have been 30 minutes after the fire began

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The bar is located in Crans-Montana, a large ski resort that is home to 87 miles of mountain trails

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

Most of those injured were in a serious condition, said Mathias Reynard, head of the cantonal government. ⁠

Valais hospital intensive care unit was full and patients being transferred elsewhere, he said.

Commuters coming into the town are breaking down in tears due to the horror of what has happened and locals expect the community to be in a ‘state of mourning’ for days to come.

One bus driver told the Daily Mail: ‘We think it’s firecrackers or fireworks. They’re banned in a lot of clubs and they should never be allowed anywhere near crowded places. This is an absolute tragedy.’

One resident, who lives in Crans-Montana, said: ‘I heard a number of massive bangs which sounded like bombs going off. It was crazy.

‘I live nearby. My heart felt like it jumped out of me. It was pounding.

‘I live hundreds of yards from the bar. I heard screaming and screaming and people running.

‘We will be in mourning for days. We will never get over this. How did it happen?’

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Police officers walk at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026

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

The explosion was being considered a fire and not an attack, prosecutor ‍Béatrice Pilloud confirmed, ⁠adding that authorities were trying to get the bodies of the victims to their families.

A helpline and reception centre has been set up for families seeking information about loved ones.

‘We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists,’ Lathion added.

The Constellation Bar’s normal closing time is 2.00am local time, which would have been 30 minutes after the fire began.

It is unclear if it was due to stay open later for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The UK embassy in Berne said it has not been approached yet for assistance, but said that ‘nationals from multiple countries’ are likely impacted.

‘Swiss emergency services are responding to a fire in Crans-Montana, with nationals from multiple countries likely affected. We continue to monitor the situation,’ it wrote on X.

‘Whilst we have not been approached for assistance, our staff stand ready to support British nationals abroad 24/7.’

Hospitals in western Switzerland are under severe strain due to burn victims, and have released an appeal to the public: ‘Please show solidarity and refrain from risky activities on January 1.’

Crans-Montana is a large ski resort that is home to 87 miles of mountain trails.

It is one of the top-ranked ski destinations in Europe.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.

At the end of this month, it is due to host the FIS World Cup – a prestigious speed skiing competition.