A HORRIFIED partygoer has described the moment a fire ripped through a Swiss ski resort bar as revellers welcomed in the New Year.
Dozens of people have died and at least 100 were injured in the devastating New Year’s Eve blast inside the tourist hotspot in Crans-Montana, Valais.
What we know so far…
- Dozens killed and over 100 injured, cops say
- Explosion erupted at around 1:30am followed by a fire
- Hospitals “overwhelmed with burn victims”
- Tragedy not being treated as an attack
- No-fly zone in place across Crans-Montana
An exact death toll hasn’t been confirmed but the Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicates around 40 deaths.
Now, one witness named Emma has claimed that the fire seemed to start after people celebrated with champagne bottles that contained candles.
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She told BFM TV: “Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying.”
Another witness claimed she saw the ceiling catch fire after sparkler was lit in a bottle on a high table.
A local police spokesman confirmed that “dozens of pyrotechnic devices in bottles” lined tables in the basement of the bar.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirmed the fire “started in the basement of the bar” and there was a crush as people desperately tried to get out via the single staircase.
Footage from outside the Alpine bar shows raging flames coming from inside the venue as dozens of people watch on.
Locals ran over to try and help those trapped inside with people appearing to try and access the burning building to save others.
Describing the initial shock, two survivors of the bar fire said there was “absolute panic” when the flames first appeared, according to BFM TV.
One even recounted being “thrown down stairs” and injuring her knee after a stampede was sparked by the blaze.
Another woman said: “The staircase leading out of the nightclub was extremely narrow.
“There was a huge surge in the crowd. We managed to escape just in time.”
The survivors claimed that they saw the blaze start when a candle connected with the wooden roof of its basement.
One of the women told the outlet: “During the evening, a waiter climbed onto another waiter’s shoulders.
“He was holding a birthday candle, which was very close to the ceiling, and [the ceiling] caught fire in a couple of minutes.”
Chief Gisler announced that “dozens of people are presumed to have died” in the horror blast in the Le Constellation Bar.
He added that “100 or so” are injured with some being “significantly” wounded with a range of burns.
A police spokesperson added that the venue was licenced for 300 people inside, and 40 on an outside terrace, where smoking was permitted.
The nationalities of the victims remain unknown but it is likely that they came from several different nations, Gisler confirmed.
The death toll may still rise in the coming hours, police fear.
No Brits have been identified as of yet but two French nationals have been confirmed as sustaining injuries.
The UK embassy in Bern say they are ready to help should a British national need it.
A fire was first reported at 1.30am local time (12.30am UK time) after locals noticed smoke coming from the venue.
More than 100 people were inside Le Constellation Bar and Lounge when the blast happened, police believe.
The venue can hold over 300 people with the bar reportedly being located in the basement.
Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were all deployed to battle the flames and rescue victims.
The intensive care unit in at least one hospital is full, Gisler said.