The Crans-Montana fire: a Swiss tragedy that raises questions

As investigators begin the gruelling task of identifying the victims and trying to determine what happened, here are some of the main issues they will seek to probe.

- How did the tragedy occur? -

"It was around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) when smoke was spotted" coming out of Le Constellation bar at the heart of the upscale resort, police commander Frederic Gisler told reporters.

A few seconds later, a witness contacted the police. 

"Immediately, the red alarm, which mobilises the fire department, was triggered," Gisler said, adding that firefighters "quickly contained the blaze" while the injured were being treated.

Authorities said they launched an investigation into the fire, and declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy. 

Several witness accounts, broadcast by various Swiss, French and Italian media, meanwhile seemed to point to sparklers that were apparently mounted on top of champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" put on for patrons who made special orders to their tables.

"I think there were some ladies, waitresses, with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire," Axel, who was present at the time of the incident, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

- Was the establishment up to scratch? -

Le Constellation, located on the ground floor of a residential building, has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

Several witnesses said the event space in the basement of the establishment, where the fire began, was connected with the ground floor by only a staircase, which some described as "narrow".

But Wallis's chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud did not confirm this, stressing that the cause of the tragedy was still being investigated.

Responding to questions from reporters, she said she had seen the site herself.

"What exactly constitutes a narrow staircase?" she asked, stressing that the probe would "determine whether all safety standards were met".

Pilloud also said it was "too early" to comment on whether emergency exits met the required standards, or whether the necessary procedures had been followed before organising the New Year's event.

Multiple sources told AFP on Thursday that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe and sound, but who have been unreachable since the tragedy.

- Who are the victims? -

Authorities have not yet released any information on the victims' identities, but the bar was a popular spot for tourists and was known to draw a young crowd.

"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," Gisler said.

He said Swiss authorities were "in close contact with the victims' families, whom we are informing in real time, as well as with the various embassies involved".

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.

The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.

Given the bar's usually youthful clientele, questions were also being raised about the possible presence of minors at the time of the tragedy.

Stephane Ganzer, head of Wallis's security department, did not confirm that.

But, he told reporters, "you can imagine that on New Year's Eve, in a ski resort, the population is undoubtedly quite young".

ag/nl/rjm/lb