Multiple people dead as fire rips through Swiss Alps ski resort bar during New Year’s celebrations

A fire at a bar in the Swiss Alps has left 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.”

A reception center and helpline have been set up for impacted families, Lathion said.

The ski resort of Thyon 2000 in the Southern Swiss Alps with the famous resort of Crans-Montana in the background. Getty Imaages

“We’re just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renown ski resort with lots of tourists,” Lathion said.

A news conference was scheduled by police for 10 a.m. in Crans-Montana. The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.