US EditionBBC Breakfast Issues Update on Fire Which Killed at Least 40 People
Around 40 people died and 115 were injured in a flashover fire at Le Constellation bar during New Year’s celebrations, Swiss officials said.
- A fire and explosion tore through the Crans-Montana New Year Bar during celebrations, with authorities probing the cause and reports of around 40 dead and 115 injured.
- Eyewitness accounts describe a quick, violent spread of flames after a lit bottle was raised as two eyewitnesses interviewed by BFMTV saw a male bartender lift a female bartender holding a candle before flames spread, while Swiss officials probe the "embrasement généralisé" rapid flashover.
- People inside the bar tried to escape up a narrow stairwell, causing a crowd surge that hampered escape; regional hospital intensive care unit and operating theatre quickly reached capacity, with some patients flown to specialist hospitals.
- Valais authorities are working to identify the dead and notify families, with Frédéric Gisler saying efforts continue amid strained regional hospitals and warnings to avoid accidents.
- Crans-Montana is a prominent World Cup ski and golf resort with runs near 3,000 metres and lies under 5 kilometres from Sierre, Switzerland, site of a 2012 bus crash.
138 Articles
138 Articles
The joy of the New Year’s Eve was transformed into a tragedy in Switzerland. What promised to be a celebration full of illusion ended in disaster for the more than a hundred people gathered at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana. No one could imagine the fate that awaited them. The New Year was celebrated between laughter, toast and hugs, in an atmosphere of shared euphoria. However, around 1.30 a.m., the place burned down and the algarabí…
40 people died in a fire in a Swiss bar. Now the cause hardens: "Flashover" is said to have led to the deadly tragedy.
The Dutch Stefan
A photo taken at the moment a fire broke out in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana reveals the possible source of the blaze that killed more than 40 people.
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