40 Killed, 100 Injured As Explosion Rips Through Bar In Luxury Swiss Ski Resort

Last Updated:January 01, 2026, 14:13 IST

An explosion of unknown origin at Le Constellation bar in Crans Montana killed and injured several people as Swiss police and emergency services responded to the ongoing incident.

Authorities said several people were injured in the blast at a bar in the Swiss ski resort. (IMAGE: @OsiOsint1/X)

A violent fire tore through the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations, following one or more explosions, Swiss broadcaster RTS reported early Thursday.

Regional daily Le Nouvelliste said its sources were describing “a heavy toll", with “around 40 dead and 100 injured".  Police also said the explosion is not being treated as terror-related.

Valais cantonal police earlier said there were deaths and injuries, without releasing an official toll. Emergency services remain on site, with multiple ambulances deployed and Air-Glaciers helicopters mobilised for rescue and evacuation operations.

Valais is known as Wallis in German, reflecting Switzerland’s multilingual system.

Police have set up a helpline for families seeking information, and authorities are scheduled to hold a press conference at 10:00 am local time.

“There has been an explosion of unknown origin," Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesman in Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. “There are several injured, and several dead."

Lathion said the explosion occurred at around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) at the Le Constellation bar, which is popular with tourists, as revellers rang in the New Year. “The intervention is still ongoing," he added, according to AFP.

According to the Swiss broadcaster, the explosion occurred in the basement of the bar and triggered the fire. Le Constellation, which is typically open until 2:00 am, has the capacity to accommodate up to 400 people.

A source involved in managing the emergency response described the incident to the broadcaster as “a major disaster", warning that the number of victims could be significant. The source compared the scale of the tragedy to the 2012 bus crash in Sierre that killed 28 people.

RTS reported that investigators are not, at this stage, treating the incident as a criminal act. An accidental cause has not been ruled out, but the exact origin of the explosion and subsequent fire remains unknown.

The 10:00 am press briefing will mark the first official appearance of Frédéric Gisler, who assumed office as commander of the Valais cantonal police on January 1, the broadcaster said.

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