Swiss Burn Units Overwhelmed After Crans‑Montana New Year’s Bar Fire

Switzerland’s burn units have been overwhelmed after a New Year’s Eve bar fire in Crans‑Montana, officials said.

Dr. Robert Larribau, head of emergency care at Geneva’s University Hospital, said about 50 people are believed to have been badly burned. Switzerland’s burn centers in Zurich and Lausanne and the national disaster center in Bern exceeded capacity.

Authorities in Bern coordinated with the European Union to find hospitals in neighbouring countries. Transfers of patients to hospitals in Germany, Italy and France began on Thursday, and France said on Friday it would hospitalize 11 injury victims.

The hospital closest to the fire, in Sion, was initially overwhelmed and was reported to have taken in around 60 people. Twenty‑two patients were sent to Lausanne — more than double the capacity of its burn center — 16 went to Zurich University Hospital and eight to a hospital in Bern.

Four people aged about 15 to 25 were taken to Geneva University Hospital; two were in intensive care and needed urgent transfer for specialised treatment, Dr. Larribau said.

Three people with fractures and other nonburn injuries from an explosion at the bar made their own way to another Geneva hospital.

Key Topics

Health, World, Switzerland, Burns, Hospitals, Cross-border Transfers, Emergency Care