A makeshift memorial has been erected to dozens of people killed in last night’s massive ski resort fire, which killed almost 40 people.
Two teams of police officers, some carrying large bags, entered the cordon shortly after 7 pm local time.
Mourners are leaving flowers and lighting candles at a growing makeshift memorial in a circle on the Rue Central near the bar tonight.
Many people were seen making the sign of the cross in tribute, including dozens of bouquets.
Media from all over Europe, including Italy and France, have begun to arrive at the site, next to a small petrol station in the middle of Crans-Montana.
Swiss ski resort fire update:
At least 47 people died in a Crans-Montana bar blaze. Read more.
‘I escaped a Swiss ski resort fire by breaking a window – but my friends are dead or missing.’
A woman lays flowers near the spot where a fire broke out in a crowded bar (Image: AFP via Getty Images). )
Despite the -4°C temperatures, people stood and stared at the scene for several minutes, clearly stunned.
Hundreds of people, many with tears in their eyes, have gathered around a makeshift memorial near the bar.
They stand in a circle around it, more than 20 people deep in some places. Others stand on top of a nearby parking garage and an elevated intersection to get the view.
A temporary monument emerged in Crans-Montana (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Despite the crowds, it is incredibly quiet, with most people standing silent, while others occasionally whisper.
They include 42-year-old Ivan Wiesen and his wife Julianne, who drove about 20 minutes from their home to show solidarity with the victims.
Ivan, 40, told the Mirror: “We saw emergency vehicles at around 2am this morning. It’s very terrible. People here are in shock. I think a lot of young people have died.”
People crying at the scene of the fire at “Le Constellation” bar (Image: AP)
Mourners can be seen hugging each other in a circle, some in tears. Antonio Somma, an 18-year-old ski instructor, is a regular at the bar and lives a few yards away.
He and his friends were on their way from the second bar when the accident happened.
Antonio told the Mirror: “A friend of mine was in the bar. He is in a coma in a hospital in Stuttgart. He is 18 years old.
Local residents Julian and Evan Wyson are heartbroken (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
“I found out this morning. It was difficult to hear. We don’t have any information other than that he’s in a coma, but we’re hopeful he’ll get better. We arrived at 1.30 a.m.,
shortly after it happened. It was shocking. We didn’t believe it was real at first.
A mourner gestures in front of flowers and candles placed near the spot where a fire broke out in a crowded bar (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“I go to this bar often. It’s usually for people over 18 but we know they let underage people in.
A friend of my mother’s works at the hospital and says some of the victims are between 14 and 17 years old. Everyone here is hurting. We’re here to think about the people inside.
I don’t know how we’ll recover.”
Witnesses said they saw waitresses come in with flares before the fire broke out (Image: X)
Nearly 40 people have been killed and 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire broke out during New Year’s celebrations at a bar in a Swiss alpine resort, police said.
Authorities did not immediately have an accurate count of the dead.
Mourners gather in front of flowers and candles placed near the site (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Crans-Montana resort is known as an international ski and golf resort, and overnight,
Its crowded Le Constellation bar transformed from a scene of revelry into the site of possibly one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.
Valais canton police commander Friedrich Geisler said during a news conference that work was underway to identify the victims and notify their families, adding that the community was “devastated”.
A video shows the ceiling catching fire after a waiter allegedly placed a sparkler in a champagne bottle.’ (Image: X)
Valais canton Attorney General Beatrice Pillaud said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, which broke out less than two hours after midnight Thursday. Experts had not yet been able to go inside the debris.
Scenery in Crans-Montana (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
“There is no question of any attack at any time,” Ms Pillaud said. He later said it was “completely unknown at this time”
how many people were in the bar, adding that its maximum capacity would be part of the investigation.
When asked if anyone had been arrested in connection with the fire, he said, “At this point, we don’t have any suspects.”
“The investigation has been launched, not against anyone, but to shed light on the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”
