Swiss police on Thursday said around 40 people were killed and about 115 others injured, many of them seriously, after a fire broke out at a bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve, marking “one of the worst tragedies” the country has ever seen.

“At the hour I am speaking to you, we are counting around 40 people who have died and approximately 115 injured, most of them seriously,” Valais cantonal police commander Frederic Gisler rold a joint press briefing. The figures, said, remain provisional as identification efforts continue.

He warned that given the international nature of the resort, foreign nationals are expected to be among the victims

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who just took office, described the fire as “one of the worst tragedies our country has known.”

“Behind these figures, there are faces, first names, families, destinies brutally interrupted,” he said in the briefing. “The Swiss government wishes first to address its most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims”

Parmelin said the federal government was working closely with cantonal authorities to ensure the identification of victims and the conduct of the criminal investigation “with all the professionalism, rigor and diligence required,” stressing that Switzerland also bears responsibility toward “people who had come from abroad to spend the Christmas holidays” in the resort.

In a symbolic act of national mourning, Parmelin announced that flags at the Federal Palace would be lowered for five days

Valais State Council President Mathias Reynard said authorities are aware that the identification of victims “may still take time,” calling the wait “a moment humanly unbearable” for families.

He praised emergency responders and hospital staff, saying their “engagement, professionalism and dedication are exemplary.”

Authorities said around 150 responders, 42 ambulances, 13 helicopters and three disaster-response trucks were mobilized. A large number of injured were taken to hospitals in Sion, Sierre, Martigny, Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg, Bern and Zurich, while several patients were transferred to specialized burn units. Switzerland also received offers of assistance from abroad, and several countries, including France, Germany and Italy, announced their readiness to take in severely burned patients.

Regarding the investigation into the cause of the fire, Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said “an instruction to determine the circumstances of this fire has been opened,” adding that forensic experts from Zurich have been mandated and the priority remains identifying the victims and returning their bodies to their families as quickly as possible.

Pilloud said there were still many circumstances to clarify, and that several hypotheses had been put forward, with the theory currently favored being that of a generalized conflagration that caused a deflagration.

European condolences

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib expressed sympathy for the victims and rescuers, saying on US social media platform X that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated, and Brussels was liaising with Swiss authorities to provide medical assistance.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said her thoughts were with the victims, the injured and their families, calling it “devastating” that a New Year’s celebration had turned into tragedy, and praised those who risked their lives to help others.

“Europe stands in full solidarity with Switzerland,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot also expressed “deepest solidarity” with the families of the victims and said that Belgium was in close contact with Swiss authorities.

He added, in an X post, that based on information available so far there were no confirmed Belgian victims, though this could not yet be fully ruled out.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof described the fire as an “unprecedented” tragedy, saying dozens of lives had been lost. “Earlier today, I conveyed my condolences to Swiss President Parmelin. Our thoughts are with all the victims, their families and the Swiss people,” he said on X. (Anadolu Agency, excluding headline)