Officials believe sparklers on top of champagne bottles are to blame for the bar explosion and fire that left around 40 dead and more than a hundred others injured at a New Year’s Eve party in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
At around 1:30 a.m. local time on Jan. 1, a fire broke out at a bar called Le Constellation in the Valais region in southwestern Switzerland, killing around 40 and injuring about 115 others, Valais police said.
Authorities said it could take days or even weeks to identify the victims.
“What was a moment of joy turned into a tragedy in Crans-Montana last night, felt across the country and beyond,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a statement on X.
The victims are from various countries, and identifying them could take several days or weeks, Valais police said in a press release.
The U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, said in a statement that it is in “close contact” with Swiss authorities and encouraged U.S. citizens in the country to notify family and friends of their safety.
Crans-Montana is a resort town popular with international tourists, skiers and golfers. It is scheduled to be a stop on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup tour at the end of January.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais attorney general, said at a news conference on Jan. 2 that officials believe the fire was caused by sparkling candles on top of champagne bottles.
“Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles. These went too close to the ceiling. From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued,” Pilloud said, per Reuters.
Officials are still continuing the investigation into the incident, Pilloud said.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed a chaotic scene as people rushed to get out of the building moments after fire broke out.
An official death toll has not yet been confirmed as investigators work to identify all the victims. Officials said the injured are being treated at hospitals around the country, including in Geneva and Zurich.
Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais, said experts are using dental and DNA samples to identify the victims, but confirmation will take time because of the severity of their injuries, Reuters reported.
“All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure,” Reynard said.
Per Reuters, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that 13 Italians are hospitalized and six are still missing. The French Embassy in Switzerland said in a statement that nine French nationals have been identified among the injured, but more are possible.
Officials believe many of the victims are young people and teenagers.
Among them is Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old Italian golfer who lived in Dubai, who has been identified as one of the victims killed in the fire, several outlets including Reuters reported.
The Italian Golf Federation confirmed Galeppini’s death, saying in a statement that he was “a young athlete who carried with him passion and genuine values.”
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.