A man who witnessed a bar fire in Switzerland has told Sky News he saw patrons walking over people as they tried to escape the packed venue.
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Samuel Rapp, who was at a restaurant near Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana when the fire broke out, described the scene as “horrible”.
Dozens of people are presumed dead after the fire and around 100 others were injured – the majority of those seriously, with severe burns.
Mr Rapp said he was told of an “explosion” at the venue during the early hours of New Year’s Day and went to investigate.
He told Sky News: “There were a lot of people at the entry trying to escape. And it was full and people [were] walking on everybody trying to escape.
“A lot of people were screaming trying to escape and I saw a lot of people on the floor.”
Follow latest: Several dozen feared dead in fire
Mr Rapp said he witnessed someone place a jacket over a victim’s face and saw “a lot of people” without hair due to being burned.
He said: “Some people were without clothes.”
Emergency services at the scene
Asked what kind of people were at Le Constellation, he said: “Everyone in the world comes here.”
He said a lot of people come from England, from the Netherlands, and from around Switzerland.
Mr Rapp added: “The people were between 16 and 18. It’s horrible.”
Sky News’ Home Editor Jason Farrell is at the scene and said those he has spoken to have been left traumatised by the tragedy.
“It’s just an absolute shock,” he said, as people were gathering by the cordon closing off the area around the bar.
“There’s still some waking up to this, this is a real shock to the people of Crans-Montana.”
Authorities are yet to confirm the exact number of fatalities, although the Italian foreign ministry said Swiss authorities had reported at least 40 deaths to it.
The fire occurred at around 1.30am local time (12.30am UK time) on Thursday while guests were celebrating the start of 2026.
Officials have described how the blaze likely triggered the release of combustible gases that ignited violently and caused what English-speaking firefighters call a flashover or backdraft.
Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, told Sky TG24 that “someone set off a firecracker inside the venue and this firecracker set fire to the ceiling – and that started the blaze”.
Emergency crews at the scene on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
Earlier, two young French women who said they escaped from the bar told BFMTV that the fire took hold in the basement section after a bottle containing “birthday candles” was held too close to the wooden ceiling.
“The fire spread across the ceiling super quickly,” one of the women said.
The pair said they were able to climb a narrow staircase to the ground floor as panic broke and escape the building. Minutes later, the fire was said to have reached the ground floor.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured.
Panicked parents also raced to the scene to see whether their children were trapped inside.
The young man told of how he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Pic: AP
The area has been cordoned off while investigation work takes place.
Hours after the explosion, local resident Karine Spreng said: “I know someone who might have been among the victims and I can’t reach her. I’m very worried.
“I’m going to try to contact other people who know this woman to see if she is still alive.”
This story originally appeared on Skynews
