As Swiss authorities rush to identify victims of a fire that tore through a crowded bar on New Year's Eve, President Guy Parmelin has announced five days of mourning.
The earth-shattering blaze killed about 40 people and injured 115 who were celebrating at a New Year's Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Describing the fire as one of the most traumatic events in Switzerland's history, the president noted, "It was a drama of an unknown scale."
The fire broke out at 1:30 a.m. in the town's Le Constellation bar, but it’s not yet clear what set off the blaze.
Some witnesses said it started after sparklers or flares were put into champagne bottles.
Witnesses said the flames set fire to the ceiling, and within seconds the blaze had spread, engulfing a crowded basement packed with revellers.
As New Year parties in the area were known for being lax in terms of checking the age of bar entrants, the crowd had a significant number of teenagers.
Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who died in the disaster. The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.
Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing cold on Thursday evening, January 1, laying flowers and lighting candles.
A significant portion of people caught in the fire were residents of neighbouring countries that were visiting the ski resort.
Italy's foreign ministry said 16 of its nationals were missing and 12 were among the injured, while France said eight of its citizens were missing and it could not rule out that French nationals were among the dead. One Australian was among the injured.
