CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — A fire at a bar in the Swiss Alps has left many people dead and injured during New Year’s celebrations, police said early Thursday.
Multiple people were killed in the blaze and many others were injured in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, police said.
“The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,’" police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion said. "More than
a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead.”
Investigators were working to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists," Lathion said.
A reception center and helpline have been established for impacted families, Lathion said.
The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Zurich.
The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters (1.86 miles), according to the municipality’s website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.
The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.
