(VER DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES)

Funeral service vans were seen on Thursday (January 1) driving towards a bar in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana where dozens of people were killed and around 100 injured after a fire broke out during a New Year's Eve party.

The blaze started at 1.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in a bar called "Le Constellation" in the resort in southwestern Switzerland.

The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remains unclear but authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Dozens of people were killed and 100 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday (January 1).

The fire broke out at 1.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in a bar called "Le Constellation" in the resort in southwestern Switzerland. The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remains unclear but authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.

Valais Canton's head of police, Frederic Gisler told a press conference 100 were injured and tens were presumed dead. He did not give a specific figure.

The Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths.

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ANIMATION (CREATED JANUARY 1, 2026) (GOOGLE EARTH - No resales / No archive / News use only / Must not obscure logos)

1. VARIOUS OF GOOGLE EARTH ANIMATION SHOWING SITE WHERE A FIRE TORE THROUGH A SKI RESORT BAR IN SWITZERLAND'S CRANS-MONTANA

Local police released video showing the aftermath of the explosion at the resort.

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CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (VALAIS CANTON POLICE - Must courtesy Valais Canton Police / No resale)

2. POLICE TAPE / POLICE CARS PARKED NEAR SITE

3. CANTON POLICE PATCH

4. AMBULANCES PARKED NEAR SITE

5. WINE BOTTLE WITH AMBULANCES IN BACKGROUND

6. FIREFIGHTERS STANDING NEAR SITE

7. VARIOUS OF SITE

8. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS SECURING AREA

9. AMBULANCES PARKED

10. FIREFIGHTERS AT WORK

11. POLICEMAN WALKING TOWARDS SITE

12. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS STANDING

13. FIREFIGHTERS TRUCK

14. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTER STANDING

15. AMBULANCES PARKED

16. HELICOPTER LANDING SEEN FROM BEHIND TREES

17. HELICOPTER AT HELIPAD

Local police said dozens of people were feared dead and around 100 injured.

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LENS, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (VALAIS CANTON POLICE VIA FACEBOOK - No resale)

18. (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF VALAIS CANTON POLICE, FREDERIC GISLER, SAYING:

"At the time I am speaking to you, all of the injured have been taken care of. We have counted around a hundred injured people, most of them seriously, and unfortunately several dozen individuals are presumed dead. At present, the main street of Crans is closed for the needs of the investigation."

19. WHITE FLASH

20. (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF VALAIS CANTON POLICE, FREDERIC GISLER, SAYING:

"As for the timeline of events, here is what I can tell you at this stage. At around 1:30 a.m., smoke was seen coming from a bar located in the centre of the Crans resort. At the same time, a third party called for help by contacting the dispatch centre of the Valais cantonal police.

As daylight broke, police cordons and forensic tents could be seen outside the bar. Flowers were also laid down at the site in memory of the victims.

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CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

21. VARIOUS OF POLICE CORDON AND FORENSIC TENTS OUTSIDE BAR

22. POLICE STANDING OUTSIDE TENTS

23. VARIOUS OF RESCUE PERSONNEL WALKING

24. POLICE CORDON

25. FLOWERS ON GROUND / FORENSIC TENT AT SITE

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CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

26. OFFICIALS WALKING BEHIND CORDON IN STREET LEADING TO 'CONSTELLATION' BAR

27. VIEW OF BAR AND TENTS IN FRONT OF IT

28. OFFICIALS GUARDING CORDON

29. TENTS IN FRONT OF BAR, OFFICIALS NEARBY

30. OFFICIALS GUARDING CORDON

31. OFFICIALS STANDING BY TENTS OUTSIDE BAR

32. PEOPLE WALKING IN TOWN

33. EXTERIOR OF CHALET AND SIGN GIVING DIRECTIONS TO PARKING PLACES

A woman at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana said she was very worried for a person she knows who may have been at the bar during a New Year's Eve party when disaster struck.

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CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

34. POLICEMAN STANDING IN FRONT OF CORDON

35. ONLOOKERS HUGGING

36. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CRANS-MONTANA RESIDENT, KARINE SPRENG, SAYING:

"I know someone who might have been among the victims and I can’t reach her. I’m very worried. I’m going to try to contact other people who know this woman to see if she is still alive.”

37. POLICE PASSING BY

38. POLICE OUTSIDE FORENSIC TENT

A witness to the deadly Swiss resort incident describes the community pulling together to help injured people.

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CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

39. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WITNESS TO AFTERMATH OF FIRE AT BAR, DOMINIC DUBOIS, SAYING:

"I had just come back from my friend's place. We were actually going to go to the bar.

REPORTER ASKING: "Oh, you were going to go to Le Constellation?

"Or the one above. But we were on the way there when we saw what happened."

REPORTER ASKING: "And the place was on fire when you came?"

"Yes it was, You could see the orange, the orange, yellow, red."

40. RESPONSE TEAMS WALKING PAST

41. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EYEWITNESS, DOMINIC DUBOIS, SAYING:

"Understandably, they don't want civilians getting in and involved and getting in the way. And many were able to help, carrying, I don't want to say corpses, I think everyone who was out and kind of reactive survived, but carrying bodies out of the fire from there, at least a bit further away. You see there, there's the Bar 1900, that was the first kind of responding place. They did amazing to stay open. It was warm in there, that was what was needed. As mentioned before, the main, I think, problem was the temperature shock from the heat inside to the cold outside. So one of the priorities was to get everyone warm."

42. PEOPLE WITH BAGS AND LUGGAGES WALKING PAST

43. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EYEWITNESS, DOMINIC DUBOIS, SAYING:

"And then UBS opened up, so thank you to them also. We pushed all the tables, all the tables were pushed aside and people entered and it was warm in there, there was more light as well, so the triage was down there. All the paramedics, I mean paramedics, police, not the firemen, the firemen were out here. And then it was just ambulances coming back and forth as much as possible, bringing them down to the Moubra. The Moubra, from my understanding, was for the less severe victims. So basically they told us anyone that can walk, anyone who was pretty conscious can go there. And then the others were taken down to wherever else they were taken to."

44. RESPONSE TEAMS CARRYING A MAKESHIFT PARAVANE

45. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EYEWITNESS, DOMINIC DUBOIS, SAYING:

REPORTER ASKING: "A lot of foreigners too, I imagine."

"It was mostly foreigners, actually, I think."

46. RESPONSE TEAMS PLACING PARAVANE NEAR SITE

FUNERAL SERVICE VANS HEADING TO SITE OF BLAZE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND (JANUARY 1, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

47. VARIOUS OF FUNERAL SERVICE VANS DRIVING TOWARDS BLAZE SITE

48. PEOPLE NEAR POLICE CORDON

49. FUNERAL SERVICE VANS DRIVING TOWARDS BLAZE SITE

50. AUTHORITIES STANDING NEXT TO CORDON

5I. FUNERAL SERVICE VANS DRIVING TOWARDS BLAZE SITE