A youth trapped inside a burning Swiss ski bar survived what a witness described as a miracle after sitting down with a crucifix in his hand as flames spread around him during the deadly blaze.
The fire broke out at around 1.30am local time (12.30am GMT) in the basement of ‘Le Constellation’, a popular venue located in the centre of the Alpine town of Crans-Montana.
Witness Laetitia Place said the man was unable to escape as the fire intensified and exits became inaccessible.
With no way out, he sat down inside the building and held the crucifix as the fire continued to burn nearby.
Flames were all around him but did not reach the spot where he was sitting.
‘He survived, thankfully,’ Ms Place said. ‘He managed to get out and he broke a window to escape.’
But others weren’t so fortunate, with at least 47 people believed to have perished in the blaze, which injured a further 115.
‘I just want to thank the Lord for saving me, and I just want to ask him to save my friends who are missing, because it’s horrible, because I miss them,’ Ms Place added.
‘I don’t want to lose more people, because I’ve already lost people and we’re still looking, and I don’t want to (lose people).
A youth trapped inside a burning Swiss ski bar survived what a witness described as a miracle after sitting down with a crucifix in his hand as flames spread around him. According to witness Laetitia Place, the man was unable to escape as the fire intensified and exits became inaccessible
The fire broke out at around 1.30am local time (12.30am GMT) in the basement of ‘Le Constellation’, a popular venue located in the centre of the Alpine town of Crans-Montana. New footage shows the deadly flashover, when extreme heat caused everything inside the enclosed space to ignite almost at once
Dramatic footage shows enormous flames rapidly spreading over the ceiling of the cramped bar, as heavy music blares out of the speakers
‘Because I was so scared – scared for myself, scared for my friends, scared for everyone inside. I have friends in the hospital, I have friends everywhere.’
The blaze, which tore through the enclosed basement venue within minutes, left dozens dead as panic-stricken clubgoers struggled to reach the single exit.
Emergency services later responded to the scene as the scale of the tragedy became clear, with investigators now examining how the fire spread so quickly and why so many people were unable to escape.
Officers probing the cause of the disaster are said to be focusing on whether the basement – which reportedly had just one relatively narrow staircase – was effectively ‘a disaster waiting to happen’.
Many of those who died are believed to have been overcome in the crush to get to the single exit as the blaze rapidly took hold in the enclosed space which was packed with New Year’s Eve revellers.
Investigators will also be looking at whether the wooden furnishings inside the basement, the wooden panelling on some of the walls, and the reported foam-style insulation material on the ceiling contributed to the spread of the fire.
‘He survived, thankfully,’ Ms Place said. ‘He managed to get out and he broke a window to escape’
Panicked partygoers can be seen rushing to escape the venue, while others seem to remain underground filming the blaze, evidently not yet realising its danger
Witness have told how the blaze was apparently sparked by a waitress holding a sparkler in a bottle, causing material on the ceiling to ignite before flames rapidly spread as panic-stricken revellers struggled to escape.
The authorities have said the fire had resulted in a ‘flashover’, leading to one or more explosions, causing all flammable surfaces in a room to potentially ignite instantly.
Survivors have since described harrowing scenes inside the club as people were burned and overcome by smoke.
One witness, Gianni, told Swiss outlet 20 Minuten that victims suffered severe burns, with faces ‘completely disfigured’ and hair burned away. He said many were left blackened by the flames, with their clothes fused to their skin.
Images from inside the venue show what appears to be foam-style soundproofing fixed to the ceiling, alongside extensive wooden décor throughout the bar and stairwells.
The nightclub had previously received a safety rating of just 6.5 out of 10 on a public review platform, a detail now drawing attention as investigators examine how the fire spread so quickly.
Rescuers and fire-fighters work at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026
People attend a vigil at a church after a fire and explosion at the ‘Le Constellation’ bar during a New Year’s Eve party
A pair of people embrace near the site of the bar on January 1, 2026
The listing on the review website, Wheree, did not specify any particular areas for concern in the club.
Wheree aggregates ratings for venues on a range of issues, including safety, location and prices, from people who visit.
The bar is owned by a French couple aged 49 and 40, who have lived in the valley for almost a decade, according to French broadcaster BFMTV citing a source close to the investigation.
The female owner was inside the bar when the fire broke out and suffered burns to her arm, while her partner was at one of their other establishments at the time. Both were described as ‘completely in shock’.
The venue was hosting more than 100 people at the time and is licensed to hold up to 300, with a further 40 on its terrace.
Sixteen Italians have been reported missing after the fire tore through the bar, while around a dozen more Italian nationals are being treated in hospital with serious burn injuries, Italy’s foreign minister said.
Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is ‘devastated’.
Today, the first victim of the deadly New Year’s Eve fire was named as a 17-year-old Italian golf prodigy.
Emmanuele Galeppini’s death was confirmed in an Instagram post by the Italian Golf Federation, which remembered the teen as a ‘young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values’.
‘In this time of great sorrow, our thoughts go out to his family and all those who loved him’, the tribute added.
The first victim of the deadly New Year’s Eve fire was named as 17-year-old Italian golfer Emmanuele Galeppini (pictured)
The teenage golfing prodigy had been pictured with golfer Rory McIlroy last year
Galeppini had been out partying at the ‘Le Constellation’ bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, when the deadly inferno broke out.
The teenager, from Genova, was among the 13 missing Italians on a list released by the country’s Foreign Ministry yesterday.
His father had been out at the venue looking for him following reports of the fire, as his family launched an appeal to find find him.
Galeppini’s relatives suspected he had been out at the bar because they hadn’t heard from him since midnight, when his father reportedly spoke to him on the phone to wish him a happy birthday, according to reports.
The Italian teenager, who was based in Dubai, was a member of the Italian national team and his best rank was 2440th, and was well known in the UAE junior and amateur golfing scene, according to GolfDigestme.com.
He was pictured with golfing legend Rory McIlroy last year and was widely regarded as a promising young talent, competing regularly across the Middle East and Europe.
One of his most recent triumphs came at the 2025 Omega Dubai Creek Amateur Open last April.
As tributes poured in for Galeppini, desperate families were showing mobile phone photos of their young relatives in the resort of Crans-Montana to try and discover their fate in the basement bar fire.
A French mother called Laetitia in her 40s said she had been searching all night for her 16-year-old son Arthur.
‘I’ve been looking for him for over 30 hours,’ she told BFMTV, after trawling every hospital she could find in search of news in vain.
‘I don’t know which hospital he is in. I don’t know which morgue he is in. I don’t know which country he is in. I don’t know which canton he is in,’ she added, determined to find Arthur.
She said: ‘We’re not irresponsible parents for letting our 16-year-olds go out for the New Year. All the parents knew where their children were. They were celebrating with friends.’
And distraught French grandfather Pierre Pralong appealed on TV for any information about his missing granddaughter, Émilie, 22.
Having gone to Crans-Montana that evening with two other friends, Émilie has not been heard from since.
Her grandfather made an appeal on BFMTV on Thursday evening, January 1, ‘for witnesses to people at the La Constellation bar who might have seen Émilie.’
‘Give us the information. Call me, call Grandpa,’ he said .
