As partygoers celebrated the new year’s eve in a ski resort early on Thursday morning, “dozens” of people were killed and more than 100 others were hurt, according to Swiss police.
What transpired?
According to a statement released on Thursday, a fire broke out at 1: 30 am (00:30 GMT) at Le Constellation, a bar in the heart of the posh Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana in southwest Switzerland.
The border with Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is about 200 kilometers south of Crans-Montana.
According to Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesperson in Wallis canton in southwest Switzerland, “there has been an explosion of unknown origin.”
The town’s bar is a well-known tourist destination. More than 100 people were present at the time of the incident, according to Swiss media outlet Blick, citing police.
What are the victims’ details known to us?
Without giving an exact number, Frederic Gisler, the police commander in the Valais Canton in southwest Switzerland, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that “several dozens” of people were presuming to be dead. More than 100 people were injured, he added.
The Italian foreign ministry later reported that about 40 people had died, according to the Italian foreign ministry, quoting Swiss police.
According to a source in the medical sector, burn victims have flooded hospitals in French-speaking Switzerland. According to regional councillor Mathias Renard, the majority of the injured were in serious condition. Some victims, according to police, were from other nations.
He continued that the intensive care unit at Valais Hospital is full and that patients are being moved elsewhere.
What has the government done?
10 helicopters, 40 ambulances, and 150 firefighters responded to the scene after being called to the fire. According to the police, the majority of the injured have “significant” burns or “significant” injuries. The Valais hospital has treated many patients.
A no-fly zone over Crans-Montana has been established, and the area around the bar has been completely closed off to the general public.
There is no current information on the possible causes of the fire.
Although we’re only just starting to investigate, Lathion referred to this as an “internationally renowned ski resort with a lot of tourists.”
The Valais canton’s prosecutor-general, Beatrice Pilloud, stated at the press conference that “we are currently favoring a fire and there is no question of any attack.”
Lathion added that a support line and reception desk (+1 41 848 112 117) have been established to assist families who have been affected. He continued, “The intervention is still ongoing.”
How frequent is this kind of incident in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, incidents like this are uncommon; recent fires and explosions have been minor.
In northern Switzerland, a blast that left two people dead in an underground parking garage and inflicted 11 injuries on two in June 2024 led to the discovery of the bodies of two people who had been killed. Local authorities confirmed that homemade fireworks had caused the explosion.
3, 000 tonnes of World War II ammunition that had been buried in the mountains above Mitholz, were the site of perhaps the biggest explosion in Swiss history in December 1947 at Mitholz Ammunition Depot. There were nine fatalities and several injuries.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply