Authorities said it was too early to provide an exact number of casualties, but said that since Crans-Montana is popular with tourists around the world, they expected them to include a number of nationalities.
At least two French citizens were among the injured, according to initial reports from the French foreign ministry.
Swiss media suggested that the fire may have started when pyrotechnics were used during a concert.
Police said the area was “completely closed to the public”, and that “a no-fly zone over Crans-Montana has been imposed”.
“The party was in full swing… music and champagne flowing freely,” a resident who said they lived nearby told 24 heures, a Lausanne newspaper.
But as news of the fire broke, they said, the carefree mood vanished and people began gathering in the street. “We could hear the sirens in the distance. Around me, people were stunned, worried, silent.”
AFP
