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A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has stated that they are urgently reaching out to local authorities to ascertain if any more Australians have been affected by the devastating incident. “We are prepared to offer consular support,” the spokesperson emphasized.
The tragic event has claimed the lives of approximately 40 individuals, according to authorities. The gravity of the situation is captured in images showing people placing flowers at the site of the accident, as captured by AFP photographer Maxime Schmid.
Guy Parmelin, who just began his term as the President of Switzerland, addressed the media, describing the fire as “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced.” His words echoed the deep shock and sorrow felt throughout the nation.
Eyewitness accounts paint a chaotic and harrowing picture of the scene. “People were running through the flames,” one witness recounted. In a desperate bid for safety, some attendees resorted to using chairs to smash windows. Another witness told a broadcaster that, within seconds, the entire ceiling was engulfed in flames. At the time of the fire, there were an estimated 200 people in the venue, mostly young people between the ages of 15 and 20.
Local hospital full
The emergency unit at the main hospital in the Wallis was full, with the injured being transported to various hospitals across Switzerland.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin (centre) said the fire was “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced”. Source: AFP / Alessandro Della Valle
More than a dozen victims had been transported to the Zurich University Hospital in northern Switzerland, while at least 22 people suffering from serious burns had been taken to the main hospital in Lausanne, and six had been taken to Geneva, Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance.
Victims come from several countries
Le Constellation has a capacity of 300 people, plus an additional 40 on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.
Police are still investigating the cause of the fire at Le Constellation bar. Source: AFP / Maxime Schmid
The bar is owned by a French couple, according to a local business registry and friends of the owners.
Wallis’s chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said significant resources were being mobilised “to identify the victims and return their bodies as quickly as possible to the families”.
