Khaberni - The mayor of Crans-Montana in Switzerland said on Tuesday that the pub where the horrifying fire erupted on New Year's Eve had not been subjected to any safety inspections from 2020 to 2025, a declaration that sparked widespread questions after the event which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people.
The official explained that the fire broke out in the "Le Constellation" pub inside the famous resort in the Swiss Alps in the early hours of January 1 (New Year's Day), during the New Year’s Eve celebrations, resulting in about 40 deaths and injuring over 100 others, most of them young people, including a number of critical cases.
According to the Swiss police and the authorities of the Valais canton, preliminary investigations and witness testimonies indicate that the fire led to the ignition of the air inside the venue, subsequently causing a widespread explosion. State council member Stefan Ganzer clarified that what some witnesses initially thought was an explosion was in fact the rapid spread of the fire inside the pub.
The authorities have confirmed that the incident is being treated as an accidental occurrence, with no indications at this stage of any terrorist act, emphasized by the public prosecutor Beatrice Beloud, confirming her direct contact with the victims' families.
The Swiss authorities have noted that the identification of the victims will take time, currently focusing on forensic work. The Italian ambassador in Switzerland mentioned that the identities of some of the injured have not yet been determined, while the British embassy confirmed that nationals from several foreign countries are potentially among the victims.
Swiss, French, and Italian media sources quoted eyewitnesses saying that the fire may have started when candles fixed onto alcohol bottles touched the pub’s ceiling after one of the celebrants raised them while being carried on someone else’s shoulders, a display described by witnesses as customary inside the venue.
Investigations continue to reveal the full circumstances of the incident, amid wide calls for a review of safety procedures and accountability for the lack of inspections over the past years, in one of the deadliest disasters in Swiss resort history.
