A luxurious nightclub nestled in the Swiss Alps became the site of a horrific tragedy on New Year’s Eve, where a devastating fire claimed the lives of at least 40 individuals and left nearly 120 injured. This venue had previously showcased a promotional video featuring flaming champagne bottles, which authorities have identified as the likely catalyst for the disaster.
Le Constellation, located in the picturesque resort town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, had shared a YouTube video depicting waitresses, donned in helmets, navigating the dimly-lit, bustling club with bottles adorned with sparkling candles.
The footage shows these bottles being hoisted aloft, at times perilously close to the ceiling.
Authorities have cordoned off the vicinity surrounding Le Constellation after the fire ravaged the establishment during the New Year’s Eve festivities in the elite Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana. (Image courtesy of Maxime Schmid / AFP via Getty Images)
This video emerged in the aftermath of the catastrophic blaze that engulfed the nightclub’s basement at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The inferno resulted in the tragic death of at least 40 individuals, while 119 others sustained injuries, many of which were critical, as the flames and smoke quickly engulfed the crowded venue.
According to two witnesses, a bartender was carrying a female staff member on his shoulders while she held a champagne bottle fitted with a lit sparkler or flare near the wooden ceiling above the bar area.
Moments later, fire erupted overhead.
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)
Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloudsaid confirmed on Friday the boozy fireworks were likely the cause, with the flames triggering a violent ignition of combustible gases known as a flashover, causing the flames to spread suddenly.
“The whole ceiling was in flames, and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds,” two survivors later told the French broadcaster BFMTV.
Axel Clavier, 16, of Paris, said he felt as though he was suffocating as smoke filled the club.
Clavier told The Associated Press he escaped by using a table to force a plexiglass pane out of its frame amid what he described as “total chaos.”
He also said he saw waitresses arrive with champagne bottles and sparklers.
Police officers and first responders stand next to a vehicle on the site of a fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. (Maxime Schmid/AFP via Getty Images)
As of Friday afternoon, no arrests have been confirmed.
Pilloud said investigators will work to determine if anyone bears criminal liability for fire by negligence, homicide by negligence, or injuries by negligence.
Since the tragedy, hundreds of people have gathered outside the burned-out venue in Crans-Montana, laying flowers and candles as families waited for news of missing loved ones.
Italian authorities said the death toll could be as high as 47, Reuters reported, citing information provided by Swiss officials, who continue working to identify bodies.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the disaster as “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known,” noting that many of the victims were young people celebrating the New Year.
While the majority of those hurt were Swiss, four Serbians were injured, along with others from Bosnia, Belgium and Portugal.
Italy and France confirmed some of their nationals remain missing.
Le Constellation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
