Jan. 1 (UPI) -- About 40 people are believed to be dead and about 100 injured -- many of them severely -- after a fire broke out at a New Year's Eve celebration at a bar in Switzerland.
The bar, Le Constellation in Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps, was a popular place for tourists and young people. Many of the injured were between 16 and 26 years old. The victims are believed to be from several different countries.
Smoke began pouring out of the bar at around 1:30 a.m., witnesses said, and emergency services were called soon after. They sent 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances to take the injured to hospitals, officials said at a press conference Thursday morning. The nearest hospital had run out of space in the emergency department and surgical suites. Three specialized planes took burn victims to Zurich, which is about 90 miles away.
Le Constellation had a dance floor in its basement with a narrow stairway, which may have made it difficult for people to escape.
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