Deadly explosion rips through Swiss bar during New Year's celebrations, leaving multiple dead

A deadly fire broke out during New Year's buzz at a Swiss ski resort bar, leaving multiple people dead and injured, local authorities have said.

As dawn broke on New Year’s Day, a horrific fire erupted out of the famous bar in Crans-Montana, located deep in the Alpine region of Switzerland.

The fire started around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 1, 2026, in a bar called “Le Constellation” in the Swiss Alps.

Rescue teams, including firefighters, rushed the area to help victims and bring the situation under control.

Though the exact cause remains unknown, officials have cordoned off the area as they work to determine what sparked the explosion.

Authorities fear the death toll could rise, as the bar has the capacity to hold around 300 people with a small terrace, but it’s still unclear how many people were inside the bar when the fire broke out, reported by BBC.

A local Swiss media outlet, Blick, is reporting that at the time of the incident, more than 100 people were in the bar, quoting a police source.

It states, “Police officials said several people have been killed, but we don’t have a precise number.”

What sparked the explosion?

The BBC reported that pyrotechnics caused the bar explosion, citing local reports that have not been verified yet.

The bar normally closes at 2:00a.m. local time, which would have been 30 minutes after the fire broke out.

However, it is unclear at the time of writing whether it had remained open later for the New Year’s celebrations.

The bar where the fire occurred is at least 40 years old and quite large, and it is not considered upscale.

But it is located in a posh ski resort area, and it hosted the 1980s World Cup skiing.