On Friday, Swiss authorities undertook the somber task of identifying the primarily young victims of a tragic New Year’s Eve bar fire at a ski resort in Crans-Montana. The blaze resulted in around 40 fatalities and left over 100 individuals injured.
Reports from Italian authorities suggested the death toll might reach as high as 47, according to Reuters, which cited information from Swiss officials. Among those affected were several Italian nationals who were either deceased, injured, or still unaccounted for.
The fire erupted in the early hours of Thursday at the Le Constellation bar in the Alpine resort town, abruptly transforming a night of celebration into chaos and despair. Initial investigations indicate that the fire was accidental, not intentional.
In the aftermath, mourners have been paying their respects by laying flowers and lighting candles at a temporary memorial near the scene of the disaster in Crans-Montana. (Maxime Schmid / AFP via Getty Images)
The identification process is expected to be prolonged, as Swiss authorities noted that the severity of burns on many victims poses a challenge for forensic teams working to confirm their identities.
Police and government representatives disclosed that a significant portion of the victims were teenagers and young adults, predominantly aged between 16 and 26. In Switzerland, the legal age for consuming beer and wine is 16.
“All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure,” said Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais. He said investigators were using dental records and DNA samples to identify the victims.
Italy and France said some of their nationals remain missing, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Crans-Montana on Friday and laid flowers.
The number of Italians involved in the incident currently stands at 19, according to the BBC, which cited Italy’s foreign ministry.
Australia has also confirmed that one of its nationals was injured.
Emergency crews and medical aircraft are seen at a regional airport in Switzerland as victims of a deadly New Year’s Eve bar fire in the Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana were transported for treatment. (REUTERS/Lisa Leutner)
Some survivor accounts and video broadcast on social media suggested the ceiling of the bar’s basement may have caught fire when sparkling candles used during bottle service got too close, though authorities said the cause had not yet been formally determined.
Officials said the blaze triggered the violent ignition of combustible gases — a phenomenon known to English-speaking firefighters as a flashover or backdraft, according to The Associated Press.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, described “total chaos” inside the bar. One of his friends died and “two or three were missing,” he told the outlet.
Rescuers and firefighters work at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026. (MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via Getty Images)
Clavier said he did not see the fire start but recalled waitresses entering the room carrying Champagne bottles topped with sparklers shortly before the blaze erupted.
Another witness told BFMTV that people smashed windows to escape the flames. Panicked parents rushed to the scene to see whether their children were trapped inside.
Rescuers are seen at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026. (MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via Getty Images)
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims from multiple countries, officials said. Hospitals were quickly overwhelmed, with intensive care units and operating theaters reaching capacity.
Swiss authorities later said the burn unit in Valais was full, and that Italy made a major burns unit in Milan available to treat the injured.
By Friday, mourners had begun leaving flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial near the cordoned-off bar as the resort town struggled to absorb the scale of the tragedy.
