TRANSCRIPT:
It was meant to be a night of celebration, welcoming 2026 with music, lights and fireworks in one of the world’s most exclusive ski resorts.
Instead, it ended in horror.
Police say around 40 people were killed and more than a hundred injured when fire tore through the packed Le Constellation nightclub in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana shortly after 1.30 on New Year’s morning.
Among the injured is an Australian national.
Frederic Gisler is the police chief for Valais canton.
"It was around 1:30 AM when smoke was spotted coming from a bar located in the centre of the Crans station. A few seconds later, a witness contacted the engagement centre of the Valais Cantonal police to report the fire. Immediately, the red alarm intended to mobilise the firefighters was triggered, and less than a minute later, at 1:32 AM, the first police patrols arrived on the scene, namely the gendarmerie and the inter-communal police of Crans-Montana."
Authorities say many of the victims are young, and that identification is complex due to the severity of injuries.
Those who were inside the venue describe how a night of celebration turned into panic within minutes.
Nathan, who escaped through a broken window, describes how the danger was not immediately recognised.
“We were yelling, ‘Fire! Fire!’ and then we thought it was a joke or that it wasn’t necessarily serious. And then suddenly, a huge cloud of black smoke, we couldn’t breathe any more. ... I thought I was either going to die or I'd manage to get out. But the only way was through a window, but the windows were blocked, so I grabbed a table and tried to smash it against a window. I couldn't, and I thought, well, I'm going to die. But finally, I managed to kick the glass, it broke, and then we got out.”
As exits became blocked, people were forced to make life and death choices.
Nathan says some of his friends never made it out.
“I won't give you any names, but some of us perished in the fire. Some are injured, and we don't know where they are. Some are missing. We're praying for them, and it's a real shock. Obviously, we don't know where our friends are. We saw some who, unfortunately, fell. And seeing those scenes of people burned, trying to get out, it was very shocking. I got out; my friends were waiting for me outside, and I knelt in front of them because I was so happy to be out."
Survivors say stairways became choke points as smoke filled the building.
Seventeen-year-old Laetitia Place narrowly escaped.
She describes the moment people became trapped at a narrow doorway.
“I was still fairly close to the stairs, so basically, there are the first stairs going up and then there’s the whole hallway to get through. And after that, there are five stairs going down again, and it was really at those five stairs that it was the worst. Because honestly, the first stairs are pretty easy to get through since they’re wide and all that. But after that, there’s the small door where everyone was pushing, and so we all fell."
Several witnesses believe the fire may have started during a nightclub performance involving fireworks.
Survivor Axel says the venue regularly staged shows using fireworks.
“It's the show, you could say. When you order a table with bottles, there's a show that starts, and actually, the show was this: a woman climbed onto another woman's shoulders with two bottles and the birthday fireworks were going off, and she waved them too high, so they hit the ceiling and suddenly caught fire.”
Investigators says no cause has been confirmed and several scenarios remain under consideration.
Beatrice Pilloud is the Valais canton prosecutor.
“There are still many circumstances to clarify, several hypotheses have been considered. The most likely scenario at this point is that of a generalised blaze that caused an explosion. Several witnesses have been interviewed, and phones have also been recovered for analysis.”
Experts have not yet been able to safely enter the interior of the bar.
Outside, the aftermath unfolded in full view of the town.
Frederico arrived near the scene shortly after the fire began.
He describes what he saw as emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
"We were in Montana, but there were people panicking. The news came right away. We started running. And we got there, in front of Le Constellation, but it was already completely cordoned off. There were police and an ambulance. And we saw people screaming; they were running."
By daylight, Switzerland’s leadership arrived to address a nation in shock.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin travelled to Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day.
“I came here on behalf of the Federal Council, on behalf of our country, Switzerland, out of respect for the families. Our thoughts are with the families who are in anguish. Some still do not know whether their children have died; some are in the hospital in difficult conditions, and we will do everything we can to ensure that everything proceeds as quickly and as effectively as possible."
He says the fire is one of the worst tragedies Switzerland has ever known, with many young lives lost.
As officials spoke, the community gathered to grieve.
At a memorial service in the town church, survivors and families embraced, lit candles and recounted tales of survival and of tragedy.
Local resident Kathleen Grinakis says the tragedy feels personal for parents across the region.
“We are all parents. My children who are older, they celebrated New Year's at the same place for years. So it could have been our children. We can put ourselves in the shoes of those parents who lost children yesterday night and it's just horrible."
Authorities say the investigation will continue for weeks, with victim identification now the priority.
For Crans-Montana, a night of celebration has become a time of national mourning.
