Dozens believed killed in fire at Swiss ski resort New Year party

Police officers and rescuers stand next to a firefighters vehicle on the site of a fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026. [AFP]

Dozens are presumed dead after a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana as young revellers rang in the new year Thursday, with witnesses describing scenes of "panic".

Horrified bystanders told of people trying to break through the windows of the bar to escape, as others, covered in burns, poured into the street.