Tehran - BORNA - Police have not released exact figures as families are still being notified, but as many as 40 people were killed and many others injured, some of them seriously, local media have reported, citing sources.
Local hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed with burn victims, according to Le Nouvelliste.
“There has been an explosion of unknown origin,” Gaetan Lathion, a local police spokesman, told AFP.
Emergency services were dispatched shortly after midnight following reports of a powerful blast and fire at or near a bar and lounge frequented by vacationers.
Eyewitness footage circulating on social media shows flames engulfing part of the venue and thick smoke rising into the night sky.
Crans-Montana, located in the canton of Valais in southwestern Switzerland, is one of the country’s best-known alpine resorts. Authorities have cordoned off the affected area while forensic teams examine the site.