King Charles says he and his wife Queen Camilla were “greatly saddened” to learn of the loss of life in Crans-Montana last night.
“It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy,” the King writes in a statement released on social media today.
King Charles shares his “admiration” for the work of the emergency services and conveys his sympathy for victims still in hospital, as well as those who have lost loved ones in the tragedy
Around 40 killed in ‘one of the worst tragedies’ to hit Switzerland
After several rounds of questions from reporters, authorities in Switzerland have brought the press conference to an end – here is a recap of what they said:
- Around 40 people have died and 115 injured, “many severely” after the fire at Le Constellation bar overnight, the police commander said
- There are 60 people being treated at a hospital in Sion, and others have been taken to hospitals in other Swiss cities
- Two officials – including the attorney general – said they don’t know how many people were in the bar at the time, but it’s something the investigation into the fire will be covering
- A state councillor described it as having a “young festive population” during the New Year’s Eve party, but would not describe any of the victims as minors
- Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the incident “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced”.
Officials don’t know how many were in the bar, Attorney General says
Pilloud is also asked about the number of people inside Le Constellation bar when the fire took hold.
She says she doesn’t know the bar’s capacity, but that this will be part of the investigation.
The attorney general echoes what Feraud said moments earlier, that officials don’t know how many people were in the bar when the fire began.
A few more questions on the timeline of events follow, before the press conference comes to a close. We’ll bring you a summary of what we’ve just heard shortly.
Investigators working to find answers ‘as quickly as possible’
Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud tells the press conference that she is “not able to give a timeline” for the first results of the investigation into the fire.
She says there are teams working to bring answers “as quickly as possible”.
Asked if they know roughly how many people were in the bar at the time of the fire, municipality president of Crans-Montana Nicolas Féraud says “not at all”.
He says there are regulations covering this, and that the security services have an annual schedule to visit and check venues to ensure that they are complying with health and safety regulations.
Official says fire wasn’t caused by an explosion
In response to another question, Ganzer reasserts comments from officials earlier today that the incident was not an attack.
He says the fire produced a “conflagration” – which is defined as a large fire that causes a lot of damage – rather than it being an explosion.
‘A young festive population’ at the bar when fire took hold, local politician says
One journalist asks the panel if minors were among those killed in the fire.
State councillor Stéphane Ganzer replies says he’s not going to describe the victims as minors, but adds: “You can imagine on New Year’s Eve that the population is quite young.
“We’re talking about a young festive population.”
Swiss President Guy Parmelin says the identification of the victims needs to be sorted as soon as possible, but stresses the task is “extremely difficult work” and “is something that will last a long time”.
Attorney general asked about rumours over cause of the blaze
The panel is now taking questions from the media in the room.
The first asks Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud to respond to rumours that bottles of champagne carrying flares might have been the cause of the blaze.
She is also asked whether the owners of Le Constellation bar are French, and is questioned on whether the staircases were “very narrow”.
- For context: Some witnesses think “birthday candles”, on top of a champagne bottle, set fire to the ceiling, and warned evacuation from the bar was “very difficult” due to narrow exit routes
The attorney general replies that she cannot confirm anything while the investigation is ongoing.
She says she doesn’t know about the nationality of the bar’s owners, and says that the staircases do appear to be narrow, but investigations will assess whether they were in line with requirements.
In pictures: Mourners lay floral tributes as new year’s Eve Mass remembers victims
As evening sets in at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, locals have been paying tribute to the dead and injured after last night’s fire at Le Constellation bar.
A vigil was being held at Montana Station Church, while floral tributes are also being laid near the scene of the fire.
‘People were trying to break the glass with chairs in the bar,’ witness says
- Warning: This post contains distressing details and graphic descriptions
Eighteen-year-old Alexis says he was outside Le Constellation bar when he first spotted the fire “through the glass doors”.
“It was a real flame coming out,” he tells Swiss broadcaster RTS. “It was coming out and… in fact, people were running through these flames.”
“You could see the shadows. People were trying to break the glass with chairs in the bar.”
Another witness, 21-year-old Alex, tells RTS he had just arrived outside the bar when the first fire victims started rushing out.
“I saw someone in their underwear, burned,” Alex says. “That’s when I realised there was definitely something wrong.”
He recalls a “smell of gas, of melted plastic, a very unpleasant mixture. And then half a dozen burned people came out.”
Alex says “it sent a chill down my spine to think that there were possibly still fifty people trapped inside”.
EU and France offer Switzerland assistance to help with injured
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU is working with Swiss authorities to get medical help to victims of last night’s fire in south-west Switzerland.
Von der Leyen says this assistance is being provided through the EU’s civil protection mechanism, which allows any country hit by a disaster – both in Europe and beyond – to request emergency assistance.
Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron says he’s spoken with Swiss President Guy Parmelin to express solidarity.
He says France is welcoming the injured from Crans-Montana to its hospitals, while “diplomatic and consular teams are following the situation”.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
