Crans-Montana New Year’s Eve Fire: Dozens Killed and Injured, Survivors Sent Across Europe for Treatment
About 40 people were killed and 115 injured in the New Year’s Eve fire at the Constellation bar and basement nightclub in Crans-Montana. According to Swiss authorities, Italy later put the death toll at 47. The tragedy has been described by Swiss President Guy Parmelin as a calamity of unprecedented proportions.
Survivors and the injured were sent to burns units across Europe for specialized care. More than 30 patients were transported to Zurich and Lausanne, six to Geneva, with others sent to Belgium, France, and Germany. The European Union is coordinating medical assistance efforts. France offered help as clinics in Paris and Lyon received patients, while Sweden and North Macedonia also provided hospital beds.
Identification of the deceased has been highly challenging due to the severe burns sustained. Authorities are using dental records and DNA to confirm identities, emphasizing that no information will be communicated to families until 100% certain. While most of the injured have been identified, six Italians remain missing and 13 Italians are hospitalized. Three Italians have been repatriated, and three more are expected to follow.
Lausanne University Hospital has been treating about 22 badly burned patients, mostly aged 16 to 26, with care projected to last for weeks or months. Swiss officials, including Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Féraud and cantonal official Mathias Reynard, have stated that the priority is to name all the deceased accurately.
Relatives and friends of victims have turned to social media to search for missing people, with poignant examples such as a French resident whose son and girlfriend narrowly missed being at the bar, and a 17-year-old searching for friends.
