A waitress paraded a bottle of sparkler-topped champagne through the bar seconds before the fire started

Credit: via X

The New Year’s Eve party was well underway when tragedy struck.

As about 200 revelers celebrated in the packed basement of Le Constellation Bar, a barmaid with a bottle of champagne along with sparklers made her way through the crowd.

The barmaid, who was carrying a co-worker over her shoulder, held a bottle above her head near the basement ceiling and lit it, witnesses said.

Footage showed the fire spreading rapidly through the roof above the bar as music played at 1.30am local time on New Year’s Day.

A crowd of partygoers, the vast majority between 15 and 20, rushed to escape through a single door up a narrow flight of stairs. As the fire spread to the ground floor, others tried to break windows to escape.

At least 40 were killed and 115 injured. Many victims are believed to be trapped in the basement level of the bar, witnesses said, with reports suggesting there were not enough emergency exits.

Credit: via X

Police are investigating whether the number of customers at the video bar exceeded the legal limit. Videos show youths running out of the scene after the fire broke out.

French eyewitness Emma told French news channel BFMTV that the fire spread “in seconds”: “Some bottles were on the edge of the roof and caught fire. The whole roof was on fire and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We all ran outside screaming and shouting.

“I saw a young man on the ground crying out in pain. His body and hair were badly burned and half of his face was gone. I think he must be dead.”

Parents rushed to the scene from around town and beyond, trying to find out if their children were trapped inside.

The upmarket resort town of Crans-Montana, 25 miles north of the Matterhorn mountain and about 150 miles from Zurich, is popular with tourists from the UK and elsewhere, who head there for the skiing and party atmosphere.

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Described as “the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve” in the city, Le Constellation was packed with young people, mostly aged between 15 and 20, witnesses said.

“The party was in full swing … music and champagne flowing freely,” according to one witness.

Lighting sparklers in bottles in the narrow confines of the cellar was also featured in a promotional video for the venue previously posted on social media.

It showed waitresses in crash helmets walking through the club, waving pyrotechnics out of bottles of Dom Pérignon champagne near the rooftop.

Credit: YouTube / Constellation Crans Montana

Another eyewitness, Alben, said she saw the ceiling burst into flames after the fireworks were set off in bottles. “It was clearly accidental,” he added.

A young man watching from across the street said he saw about 20 people running to escape the smoke and flames.

Likening what he saw to “a horror movie”, he told the Telegraph: “We are devastated. Obviously there were sparklers. They should be banned.”

“How did this happen? I heard screaming afterwards. People ran everywhere, and then the fire department came.”

Referring to the sparklers that caused the fire, a bus driver told the Telegraph: “They’ve been banned in many clubs and they shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near crowded places. It’s an absolute tragedy.”

Local authorities in Crans-Montana banned fireworks and sparklers from New Year’s Eve celebrations after a lack of rain last month has left conditions dangerously dry, increasing the risk of fires catching and spreading quickly.

A local reported hearing a loud explosion from around Le Constellation.

“I heard a lot of loud booms, which sounded like bombs going off. It was crazy,” they said. “I live hundreds of yards from the fence. I heard yelling and screaming and people running.”

Eyewitness Adrian, who was outside the bar when the fire broke out, described the horror of seeing people inside running for their lives. He said: “There was a young man outside on the pavement with burns saying: ‘It hurts so much, I’m in pain, please call an ambulance.’

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene, while emergency services from neighboring countries were called in to help with rescue efforts.

The intensive care units and operating theaters of regional hospitals were filled with victims. The worst victims of the fire were sent to university hospitals in Switzerland.

As the scale of the tragedy quickly became clear, officials urged residents to take precautions in the coming days so as not to strain the medical system further.

Credit: Tiktok / Ladzdrie92i

Michela Ries, deputy mayor of the Swiss town of Ascona, who came to Crans-Montana to celebrate New Year’s Eve, described how she was looking for friends on New Year’s morning.

“Some acquaintances told me that young people left the bar covered in blood, some without their clothes. It was a real bloodbath,” she told Swiss media.

“We have friends who don’t answer messages. Maybe they are sleeping, but we don’t know if, after being at our house, they went straight home or if they went for one last drink, maybe in the same club where the tragedy happened.

“We are very concerned and trying to contact everyone one by one, to make sure they are OK. We are devastated.”

About 50 family members were awaiting news of the disappearance.

As dawn broke, residents and commuters gathered outside the building, many in tears, devastated by the night’s events in their city.

As the region declared a period of mourning, regional government chief Matthias Renard told reporters: “This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together – but it turned into a nightmare.”

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