Officers have confirmed foreign tourists are among the 40 people who have died after a fire broke out in a bar in a Swiss Alps resort.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the fire at Crans-Montana "one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced".
President Parmelin confirmed most of the people who died were youths and that flags would be flying at half mast for five days across Switzerland.
He told a press conference: "This event took place in a place that is dedicated to life and joy...what an incredible and dreadful contrast."
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Valais Canton police commander, Frederic Gisler, told the conference: "Right now, we have around 40 people who have lost their lives and around 100 people who are injured, many of them very seriously."
Images and videos posted on social media showed a ceiling catching fire after a "waiter held up sparkler in champagne bottle."
Asked if bottles containing sparklers were used in the bar, Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said she was not in position to confirm.
Pilloud said fire safety will be determined by the investigation and it is too early to draw conclusions.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin speaks during a press conference
|REUTERS
Ambulances and rescuers are seen on the site of a fire that ripped through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans Montana
|GETTY
Flowers are laid near the site in the Swiss Alps scene
|GETTY
The bar, Le Constellation, was believed to be popular with tourists and was open for New Year's celebrations when the blaze broke out.
Nearby, local resident Samuel Rapp, 21, was dining at a nearby Mexican restaurant when he heard of the blaze, and rushed with his girlfriend to the bar.
He said: "Police and paramedics...had already set up a protective perimeter.
"There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead. They had jackets over their faces."
Flowers and candles are left near the "Le Constellation" bar,
|REUTERS
Swiss President Guy Parmelin attends a press conference following the blaze
|REUTERS
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM SWITZERLAND
- Dozens killed after explosion inside nightclub at popular winter tourist hotspot
- Ex-detective despairs at 'appallingly high' death toll as dozens are killed in ski resort bar explosion: 'A tragic incident'
- 'No stone will be left unturned' - Ex-detective predicts 'detailed forensic investigation' for Swiss police after fatal explosion
Head of Security in the Valais canton Stephane Ganzer confirmed no suspects have been identified and no one has been arrested.
He added the fire was an "accident" that produced explosions in blasts, stressing explosions did not cause the fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron has offered "the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support" to Switzerland, while the the Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed 16 Italians are currently missing.
The UK embassy in Bern said it is monitoring the situation but it has not been approached for assistance.
Emergency personnel work outside the 'Le Constellation' bar
|REUTERS
Eyewitness Dominic Dubois saw flames engulfing the building as he approached the bar.
He said: "You could see the orange, the orange, yellow, red."
Mr Dubois added people who had managed to escape the burning building were plunged into the cold outside.
He said: "So one of the priorities was to get everyone warm...the curtains of the restaurant were used."
More From GB News