Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Friday evening that a woman with Israeli citizenship has been listed as missing following a disaster in the Swiss Alpine ski town of Crans-Montana.
“At this stage, an Israeli citizen with dual citizenship has been reported missing,” the Foreign Ministry said. “An embassy team is at the scene and in continuous contact with local authorities. The Foreign Ministry’s department for Israelis abroad and the embassy staff are also in contact with the family.”
Fire spreads across ceiling as panicked crowds flee Swiss ski resort bar
Meanwhile, local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said at an evening news conference that a preliminary investigation indicates fireworks attached to champagne bottles at a bar caused the fire after coming too close to the ceiling, igniting the deadly blaze that killed about 40 people. Another 119 people were injured, many of them seriously. Some of the wounded were evacuated to hospitals in other European countries, including France and Italy, for treatment in burn units.
Pilloud said preliminary findings suggest the fire was sparked by fireworks attached to champagne bottles that were held too close to the ceiling, causing a blaze that spread rapidly. She emphasized that the casualty figures released so far remain provisional.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Pevzner of Geneva said three Jewish teenage girls are among those missing in Crans-Montana, adding that the Israeli citizen also holds French citizenship. His son, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Pevzner, is personally assisting with care for the victims at the site. Many of those affected are teenagers and young adults in their 20s, including numerous foreign nationals. According to official statements, 16 Italians and eight French citizens are listed as missing.
The disaster in Crans-Montana, a popular ski resort for both foreign tourists and Swiss visitors, occurred during a New Year’s Eve party late Wednesday night into Thursday at a venue called Le Constellation Bar. Reports said the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. in the basement of the bar while 200 or more people were celebrating inside.
Authorities quickly ruled out terrorism or another deliberate attack. Survivors who managed to escape said the fire spread from a candle or a firework carried inside a champagne bottle that struck the venue’s wooden ceiling.
A promotional video for the bar that resurfaced online showed women walking through the venue carrying what appear to be champagne bottles fitted with fireworks, matching survivor accounts and suggesting the practice was not a one-time occurrence. Swiss media reported the bar is owned by a French couple, ages 49 and 40, who live in the area. The woman was at the bar during the disaster and was injured, while the man was at another business they own.
As the fire spread, revelers tried to flee the basement club via a narrow stairway and a small exit door, leading to a deadly bottleneck.