Explosion rips through a bar in luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans Montana; several feared dead - visuals emerge

An explosion ripped through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana early Thursday, leaving several people dead and others injured, Swiss police said. Visuals from the scene showed a building engulfed in flames and emergency responders rushing in.At the time of the blast a New Year celebration was under way. “There has been an explosion of unknown origin,” Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesman in Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told AFP. Adding, “There are several injured, and several dead.”According to police, the blast occurred at around 1.30 am (local time) at Le Constellation, a bar popular with tourists, as revellers were ringing in the New Year. Emergency services rushed to the scene and operations are still reportedly ongoing. Images and video on social media showed flames engulfing part of the building, with firefighters and rescue teams deployed nearby.“The intervention is still ongoing,” Lathion said, adding that the cause of the explosion had not yet been determined.Authorities have not released further details on the number of casualties or the circumstances leading to the blast. The investigation is continuing. The area has been completely closed ‍off, and a no-fly ‍zone ⁠has ⁠been imposed over Crans-Montana, the police said in a statement, reported Reuters. (With input from agencies)