Latest update:
An explosion at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana killed dozens of people and injured around a hundred on New Year’s Eve. Many of the victims have serious injuries. The Swiss police announced this during a press conference on Thursday morning.
Around 1:30 a.m. local time, the explosion took place at Le Constellation, a bar and entertainment venue popular with tourists. After the explosion, a fire broke out and was brought under control in the early morning.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but the region’s attorney general Beatrice Pilloud emphasized during the press conference that a terrorist attack has been ruled out. A fatal accident is assumed. There are rumors on social media that fireworks may have caused the fire, but according to Pilloud, that rumor is too premature.
Police chief Frédéric Gisler said when asked that he could not yet share anything about the identity and nationalities of the fatalities. Out of respect for family members, but also because the victims have largely not yet been identified.
Earlier in the morning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the ANP news agency that he could not yet say whether there were any Dutch people among the victims. Concerned family members of (possible) victims can call a special emergency number.
The emergency services responded extensively after the explosion. Victims have been transferred to hospitals across the country, including Geneva and Zurich. The entire area is closed and there is a no-fly zone above Crans-Montana.
Crans-Montana is located in the southwest of Switzerland, about a two-hour drive from the capital Bern. It is known as a luxurious winter sports resort that also attracts many tourists in the summer, who go there to play golf, among other things.
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