Around 40 people are believed to have died in a bar fire breaking out in southwestern Switzerland, with the number of injured rising to 119, police said at a news conference on Friday afternoon.
Among the injured, the identities of 113 people have been confirmed. But some European countries still reported missing nationals in the fire, which broke out overnight at "Le Constellation" bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort in Valais Canton.
The alarm was raised at the bar at around 01:30 (1230 GMT) Thursday local time, minutes after the fire broke out. A total of 41 ambulances, 13 helicopters, and more than 150 medical personnel were deployed to the scene, local police said.
After the fire, a video footage emerged on the internet, showing staff at the bar holding lit sparklers attached to bottles close to the ceiling, where flames were spreading afterwards.
The authorities of the canton of Valais reported Thursday that the bar has been the scene of a "flashover" - a phenomenon where flammable materials suddenly ignite, turning a localized fire into a raging inferno.
At the press conference on Friday afternoon, Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said the sparklers attached to the champagne bottles were assumed to be one of the causes of the fire.
An area of 100 meters around the bar had been cordoned off. Crowds of people stood hugging and crying near the police line, where flowers and candles for the victims had been laid.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin said the fire was one of the worst tragedies in the country's history. Parmelin, who just started his second term as the country's president, had postponed his New Year's address.
Death toll in Swiss bar fire set to rise, with injured count at 119
Death toll in Swiss bar fire set to rise, with injured count at 119
