Updated : 2026-01-02 11:03:45 KST
At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 others injured, after a fire swept through a bar in a Swiss Alpine resort. The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday, as people gathered to celebrate the New Year. Lee Seung-jae has more. At least 40 people have been killed and more than 100 others injured after a devastating fire swept through a crowded New Year's Eve bar in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana. The blaze broke out around 1:30 AM Thursday at a popular bar known as Le Constellation, as large crowds gathered to celebrate the start of the New Year.
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Police say the venue was packed at the time. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the incident as one of the worst tragedies the country has faced. "The circumstances that bring us together on this first day of the year in the capital of Valais are dramatic. The fire that occurred last night in a bar in Crans-Montana is one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known." Crans-Montana is a major international ski destination, particularly busy during the holiday season, with foreign nationals among the dead and injured.
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A tourist from New York told AFP that he filmed bright orange flames pouring from the bar and saw people running and screaming in the darkness. Another eyewitness told Reuters that bystanders rushed to help, carrying injured people away from the fire to nearby bars and restaurants that remained open as temporary shelters, as many of the surviving victims faced cold-related shock after fleeing from intense heat into freezing air. "As mentioned before, the main, I think, problem was the temperature shock from the heat inside to the cold outside.
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So one of the priorities was to get everyone warm. I mean, I'm talking, the curtains of the restaurant were used." Out of respect for the victims and their families, President Parmelin postponed his traditional New Year's address to the nation, which had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Authorities have also established a reception center and a dedicated helpline to support affected families. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
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영어 원문 출처 및 동영상 링크;
arirang news/World
https://m.arirang.com/news/view?id=291071