King Charles has expressed profound sorrow following a devastating fire at a New Year party in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 47 people and injured 115 others. The King described the incident as "utterly heartbreaking" in a statement released Thursday evening, praising heroic first responders as Switzerland grapples with one of its worst ever tragedies.
The fire broke out around 1:30 AM local time on January 1 at Le Constellation bar, a basement nightclub packed with young revellers celebrating the New Year. Witnesses reported seeing a waitress holding a sparkler near the wooden ceiling while being lifted on a colleague's shoulders moments before flames engulfed the venue. The wooden ceiling collapsed within minutes as fire spread rapidly across foam soundproofing material.
Survivors described scenes of panic as crowds surged toward the club's single narrow staircase. Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old who escaped by breaking a window, said he was the sole survivor among his group of friends. One unnamed survivor told AFP: «We were trapped, a lot of people were trapped. We couldn't see because of the smoke.»
Witness Tim Steffens, a 19-year-old ski instructor, told Swiss outlet 20 Minuten: «Everyone was pushing and shoving their way out of the stairwell. It was awful. They were all burned. Their clothes were burned away. It really wasn't a pretty sight. The screams… not pretty, not pretty.»
International impact
The tragedy has affected multiple countries. Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed 16 Italian nationals are missing and around 12 hospitalized with severe burns. Two French citizens were also injured. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged France's "full solidarity and fraternal support" to Switzerland and offered French hospitals to assist with treating the injured.
King Charles said in his statement: «My wife and I were appalled, and greatly saddened, to learn of the devastating fire last night in Crans-Montana, in Switzerland. It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy. While offering our admiration for the heroic first responders and the selfless emergency services, we wanted, above all, to convey our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have been so dreadfully affected by this horrific disaster. Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all those who have so tragically lost their lives and with those who remain in a critical condition in hospital.»
Emergency response overwhelmed
Emergency services deployed 10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 workers to the scene. Hospitals across western Switzerland are overwhelmed with burn victims, with the Valais hospital's intensive care unit at full capacity. Seriously injured patients have been transferred to facilities in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich. Lausanne university hospital received 22 patients aged between 16 and 26, with eight requiring resuscitation upon arrival.
Hospitals issued a public appeal asking people to "refrain from risky activities on January 1" to ease the burden on emergency services. General manager Claire Charmet warned recovery will be "a long and intensive process, lasting several weeks, perhaps even months."
National mourning declared
Switzerland has declared five days of national mourning. President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in office, called it "one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced." He said: «It was a drama of an unknown scale. Many of the victims were young, with many hopes and dreams.»
Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais canton, said the celebration "turned into a nightmare." Police commander Frédéric Gisler described the emergency response as "unprecedented" and confirmed efforts are underway to identify victims and inform families. Officials warned identification could take weeks due to the severity of burns.
Investigation continues
Attorney general Beatrice Pilloud confirmed an investigation is underway but said it was too early to determine the exact cause. She ruled out terrorism, stating: «At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack.» She cautioned against speculation, explaining: «There was a fire followed by a flash-over, meaning the air heats up and causes detonations.»
Le Constellation had a capacity of up to 300 people inside and 40 on a heated terrace. The venue, which opened in 2015, had previously received a safety rating of 6.5 out of 10 on public review platform Wheree. Inspectors had noted a "potentially fatal combination of flammable interiors and fire escapes."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).