Dozens presumed dead in new year catastrophe at Swiss ski resort

Dozens of people are presumed killed and around 100 others injured in a fire at a New Year’s party in a Swiss ski resort, police said Thursday.

One of Switzerland’s most exclusive locales, Crans-Montana is known for sweeping vistas stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc.

The area is closed to the public while police investigate and a no-fly zone is in place. Officials are treating the tragedy as a fire, not a terror attack, a prosecutor said, adding that it will take time to determine the cause.

Multiple helicopters and ambulances were deployed to assist the injured and 150 medical personnel were mobilized.

The deadly fire that ripped through a crowded bar in Crans-Montana caused what witnesses described initially as an “explosion,” a state council member said Thursday.

“Witness accounts and investigation show that it was the fire that caused the air in the venue to burst into flames,” Valais State Council member Stephane Ganzer said alongside officials during a press briefing Thursday morning.

Ganzer, identified as a former firefighter, said the explosion was the result of the fire: “The fire spread and, as it developed, caused a widespread explosion.”

Prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said it is too soon to determine the cause of the explosion at the Constellation bar.

Responding to a question at a press briefing, she explained, “I am so sorry to say it again, we’re very early in the investigation. This will take a lot of time and experts will only be able to intervene when the venue is secured.”