At least 10 people were killed and sever others injured in an explosion at the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day, authorities said.
The police, as per the initial probe, have ruled any possible attack as the reason behind the blast. The cops have not given any specific count on the death toll but they presume it could be "several dozens". Beatrice Pilloud, the prosecutor-general of Valais canton, said an investigation is underway “to identify the circumstances which caused this dramatic situation to occur.” She added that “currently we are favouring a fire and at no time is there question of any attack,” but said she could not share further details at this stage out of respect for the families affected. Also Read: Switzerland’s Crans-Montana Bar Fire a Terror Attack? Here's What Cops Said The explosion took place at around 1:30 am local time (12:30 am GMT) at the Constellation Bar, police said in a statement to the BBC. The toll could be more as over 100 people are expected to be inside the resort who had gathered there for the new year's celebrations.
Unverified videos shared on social media showed a fire at the bar, where New Year’s Eve celebrations were underway. Police said a helpline has been set up for families of those affected. Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort town in the Swiss Alps, about two hours from the capital Bern.
"There has been an explosion of unknown origin... There are several injured and several dead," Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesman in Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told news agency AFP.
A severe explosion in the ski town of Crans-Montana in #Switzerland:
the police report several dead and injured in an incident that broke out in the area of the New Year's event.
Emergency forces are on site and an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the… pic.twitter.com/iioVEjVP1q— War & Political News (@Elly_Bar_News) January 1, 2026
A Swiss Police deployed at the blast site said that there would be an official update from Valais Cantonal Police shortly. When asked about how people have been killed in this explosion, the cop, told BBC, "We can’t say yet. Several."
A Swiss news outlet Blick has suggested that as per initial report from the ground the blast seems to have occurred due to fireworks during a concert. However, the official reason is still unknown.
About Crans-Montana
Crans-Montana is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, about 40 kilometres north of the Matterhorn and roughly 130 kilometres south of Zurich. The resort town has a resident population of around 10,000 and sits at an altitude of nearly 3,000 metres at its highest point, according to the municipality’s website.
The municipality was formed on January 1, 2017, after several towns merged. It covers about 590 hectares, stretching from the Rhone Valley up to the Plaine Morte glacier. Local authorities say the town is trying to move beyond a purely tourism-based economy and attract high-tech research and development activities.
