Blaze at Crans-Montana venue leaves about 100 people injured.

On Thursday, the Valais Cantonal Police confirmed that a fire at a crowded bar in the town of Crans-Montana caused dozens of deaths and left about 100 people injured, most of them critically.

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Cantonal authorities shared the first verified information during a news conference about the tragedy, which occurred at a venue very popular with young people in the town. Crans-Montana is among Switzerland’s most popular ski resorts.

“As I speak, we have counted about 100 injured people, many of them seriously, as well as dozens of people who have presumably died,” said Frederic Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal Police.

“The priority is forensic medicine to help us identify the deceased,” said Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud.

All evidence gathered so far has allowed authorities to rule out the hypothesis of an attack. Investigators determined that the explosion heard around 1:30 a.m. was caused by the fire. It is likely that several foreigners are among the many victims, as Crans-Montana is heavily visited by skiers during the year-end holiday period.

“Given the magnitude of this tragedy, it is understandable that we are only at the very beginning of the investigation and have not been able to identify all the victims, but at a resort as international as Crans, it is likely that there will be foreign victims,” Gisler said.

The injured were taken to several hospitals, with the most serious cases transferred to Sion Hospital, the capital of the canton of Valais. Operating rooms and the intensive care unit there are full, said cantonal health chief Mathias Reynard.

A support center has also been set up to provide psychological assistance to families and witnesses. Authorities declined to speculate on the cause of the fire while awaiting reliable information and did not answer questions about whether the venue complied with legal safety requirements.

According to residents, the bar, called Le Constellation, was located in a basement-like space accessed by a staircase, which may have made it difficult for victims to escape.

More than 10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 people — including firefighters, rescue workers and other essential personnel — were mobilized in response to the tragedy.

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