The Swiss nightclub where dozens died in a tragic New Year’s Eve fire advertised the feature that witnesses allege caused the blaze.
At 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day in Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland, local club Le Constellation erupted in a blaze, leading to the death of at least 40, while over 100 more were taken injured.
Two French eyewitnesses of the fire, identified as Emma and Albane‚ told France’s BFM TV that the deadly inferno was caused by a sparkler in a champagne bottle that was held too close to the basement club’s ceiling. Officials have yet to confirm the cause of the fire.
The YouTube channel for Le Constellation features a promotional video published in May 2024 in which waitresses in futuristic helmets carry champagne bottles topped with sparklers. The club, which was popular with teens and young twenty-somethings, also had a shisha area.
“In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood,” Emma and Albane told BFMTV.
“We were very lucky,” they said, adding there were “about 200 people trying to get out within 30 seconds through some very narrow steps.”
Authorities said their priority is first identifying the dead, adding that burns have made the process difficult. Foreign tourists from France and Italy were confirmed to be in the blaze, but the nationalities of all who died are not yet known.
Local Swiss hospitals are overwhelmed, and burn victims are to be transported to neighboring countries to receive treatment, reported the New York Times. Burn victims are expected to be transported to Italy, Germany, and France.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the disaster as “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Crans-Montana Tourism & Congress for more information.
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