Crans-Montana, Switzerland — A fire at a bar in the Swiss Alps left many people dead and injured during New Year’s celebrations, police said early Thursday.
“Several tens of people” were presumed dead and about 100 more injured, most of them seriously, after the blaze tore through a bar during a New Year’s celebration in the Alpine ski resort municipality of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, police said.
Specific casualty figures were not immediately available after the blaze at the bar called Le Constellation.
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.
“We are devastated,” Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.
MAXIME SCHMID/AFP/Getty 
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councilor Mathias Rénard.
In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.
“The fire started around 1:30 a.m. this morning in a bar called ‘Le Constellation,'” police spokesperson Gaëtan Lathion said earlier. “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.
MAXIME SCHMID/AFP/Getty 
“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is an internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said.
“The area is completely forbidden to access. A ban on flying over Crans-Montana has been issued,” the police said, adding that a reception center and helpline had been established for impacted families.
The Crans-Montana community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.
