At least a hundred people were injured and dozens are feared dead, authorities confirmed after an explosion tore through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland. They also ruled out the possibility of it being an attack, stating that they are "currently favouring a fire and at no time is there a question of any attack."
The Swiss Police had earlier said many people were being treated for burns. The fire broke out at 1.30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) in a bar called "Le Constellation" in Crans-Montana, where police, the fire brigade, and rescue services were deployed to help victims. The area has been completely closed off, and a no-fly zone has been imposed over Crans-Montana, police said in a statement, adding that the cause of the blast remained unclear.
The area remains completely cordoned off and a no-fly zone is in place over Crans-Montana.
The Constellation Bar's maximum capacity is reportedly 300 people. It also had a small terrace, but the authorities have failed to identify the exact number of occupants inside on New Year's Eve. People of all nationalities and age groups used to gather at the Constellation. Crans-Montana is visited by people residing in the valleys on special occasions, and they preferred the affected bar.
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The Constellation Bar has been around for at least 40 years. While it is one of the biggest in the area, it definitely is not a posh one. The BBC said in a report: "A lot of the bars are luxurious, but the Constellation was not like that. It's a really big bar."
It is a big bar and it is not posh, but this is quite a posh ski resort with a lot of luxury; it was famous in the 1980s for hosting the World Cup skiing, and that event is coming back.
In the upstairs segment, the ill-fated bar had arranged TV screens where people often gathered to watch football matches. On the ground floor, it was a regular bar where people would be dancing and drinking on occasions, the report said, while branding it as a real institution in the city.
