Crans-Montana (Switzerland)

“Several tens of people” are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year's celebration, police said on Thursday.

Specific casualty figures were not immediately available from the fire at the bar called Le Constellation.

Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the Valais Canton, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.

Police said they could not immediately be more precise about how many people had been killed in the blaze.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councillor Mathias Renard.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.

“We are devastated,” Frederic Gisler, commander of the Valais Cantonal police, said during a news conference.

The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, according to regional councillor Mathias Renard.

The municipality had banned New Year's Eve fireworks due to a lack of rainfall in the past month, according to its website.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.

The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous Alpine peaks, and 130 kilometres (81 miles) south of Zurich.

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The highest point of Crans-Montana, with a population of 10,000 residents, sits at an elevation of nearly 3,000 metres (1.86 miles), according to the municipality's website, which says officials are seeking to move away from a tourist culture and attract high-tech research and development.

The municipality was formed only nine years ago, on Jan. 1, 2017, when multiple towns merged. It extends over 590 hectares (2.3 square miles) from the Rhône Valley to the Plaine Morte glacier.