Watch: Photo Shows Exact Moment Fire Erupted In Swiss Bar Killing 40

Switzerland: A photo captured at the exact moment when the flames broke out at the Swiss ski resort in Crans-Montana has gained immense attention on the internet. The fire at the Le Constellation bar has reportedly killed at least 40 people and injured 115.  A video capturing the flames as they begin to erupt has also surfaced on X. This comes amid further investigation conducted by Swiss officials, remaining underway.

Ceiling foam was set ablaze first

The image shows that the soundproofing foam in the ceiling was accidentally set on fire initially. It has sparked fresh outrage over the lack of safety standards in that bar and sparked conversations on social media regarding precautionary measures followed in public spaces. 

"I'd question why such flammable building materials were allowed in their building code, too, " one user commented on X. 

"It‘s cheap foam, they burned these people to death by saving money, "a comment read.

Another user stated that it is "insanely tragic and criminal" for this to have taken place and for the bar to have permitted sparklers, despite several such accidents previously. The comments also mentioned the Kiss nightclub Fire in Brazil (2013), the Station nightclub fire in the US (2003), and the Colective nightclub fire in Romania (2015). All of the above were fire tragedies that claimed several lives and that reportedly took place due to pyrotechnics such as celebratory fireworks igniting ceiling foam or pillar foam within enclosed spaces.

The video further depicts the state of panic that was ushered in as the flames continued to spread rapidly.

What has been known so far?

A New Year’s celebration turned fatal at an international Alpine ski resort in Switzerland, as a fire broke out around 1.30 am at the Le Constellation Bar, killing at least 40, and injuring 115.

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster. People frantically tried to escape from the basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door, causing a crowd surge, one of the women said, according to a report by AP.

The Swiss officials have called the blaze an “embrasement généralisé”, a French firefighting term describing how a blaze can trigger the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently and cause what English-speaking firefighters would call a flashover or a backdraft. While the bodies of the victims continue to be identified, authorities have urged the local population to show more caution in the next few days to avoid accidents that could require more of the already overwhelmed medical resources.

The Indian Embassy in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has expressed on Thursday expressed deep grief over the tragic fire explosion in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana that claimed several lives and left many others injured. World leaders, including the French President Emmanuel Macron, have also expressed grief over the tragic explosion.

Also read: From Party to Tragedy: What We Know About the Swiss New Year’s Deadly Blaze at Ski Resort