Swiss ski-resort bar fire kills 40 and injures 119, sparklers suspected

A fire at the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana has killed 40 people and injured 119, officials say. Prosecutors and the Valais attorney-general, Béatrice Pilloud, said initial investigations point to sparklers attached to bottles of champagne being carried too close to the ceiling as the likely cause.

Photographs verified by BBC Verify show lit sparklers on bottles inside the bar and what appears to be a fire on the ceiling. A promotional video and eyewitness accounts indicate sparklers were used in the venue. The bar’s basement, where the blaze began, could hold up to 300 people.

Survivors described a chaotic evacuation, saying escape routes and stairways were narrow. Investigators will examine whether safety standards, exits and materials such as a foam layer on the ceiling met requirements. Most victims remain unidentified. A teenage Italian golfer, Emanuele Galeppini, has been named by media as feared dead; the Italian foreign ministry said it was not confirming that report.

The Italian government said six of its citizens remain missing, while France has said eight of its nationals are missing and cannot rule out French deaths. Police commander Frédéric Gisler said 113 of the 119 injured had been formally identified, including 71 Swiss, 14 French and 11 Italian, and warned numbers could change.

Key Topics

Business, World, Switzerland, Fire, Crans-montana, Investigation, Casualties