A summary of today's developments
Switzerland will hold five days of mourning after an “unprecedented” fire tore through a crowded bar, killing about 40 people and injuring 115 who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana.
There have been no arrests and no crime is suspected, authorities said. The investigation is into the circumstances of the fire.
Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais canton council, said 42 ambulances, 13 helicopters and three disaster trucks were deployed from across the region. About 35 people sought care themselves at local centres while a further 80 people received care from hospital services.
Valais canton prosecutor general Beatrice Pilloud said she could not comment on reports that a candle set alight a wooden ceiling at the bar following video footage taken at the scene appearing to show the ceiling ablaze.
Sixteen Italians have been reported missing after the fire swept through the bar in the Swiss Alps, while about a dozen more Italian nationals are being treated in hospital, Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said earlier.
About 22 people are being cared for at Lausanne University hospital, according to its director, who said patients aged 16 to 26 were the most seriously hurt.
Dozens of young teenagers gathered in front of the police cordon outside the nightclub in an impromptu vigil. People placed candles and flowers near to the site.
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Switzerland to hold five days of mourning
Switzerland will hold five days of mourning after an “unprecedented” fire tore through a crowded bar, killing about 40 people and injuring 115 who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana.
The country’s president, Guy Parmelin, described the blaze as one of the most traumatic events in Switzerland’s history. “It was a drama of an unknown scale,” he said, paying tribute to the many “young lives that were lost and interrupted”.
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