New Year's Eve in Europe became the bloodiest in decades.
At the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, during a party at Le Constellation bar, a terrible fire broke out due to a fireworks explosion, killing 47 people. More than 115 people were injured, many in critical condition. Among the victims were foreign tourists.
The facility is located in the center of the resort and is a popular place for holding New Year's parties, especially among young people.
Investigators have ruled out a terrorist attack. The cause of the fire was most likely caused by a “fireworks bottle”, sparks shooting up to the ceiling. The fire quickly spread to wooden structures and other flammable materials, causing immediate smoke and panic.
Reuters said that the fire became terrible because of a complete disregard for fire safety measures: fireworks caused the decorative foam panels to immediately catch fire. Witnesses described the fire spreading throughout the basement in a matter of seconds.
The facility is simply not suitable to receive such an influx of tourists. People tried to escape through the narrow stairs and broke windows.
Swiss authorities have activated international support mechanisms. The victims were evacuated to neighboring countries, especially Italy and France. The Swiss government declared five days of mourning. Hundreds of area residents and tourists came to the site of the tragedy to lay flowers and pay tribute to the victims, Merkur wrote.
Massive celebrations in many countries took place with increased security measures and restrictions, AP News reported. This is due to the tense socio-political situation, including the influx of refugees from Ukraine and the Middle East. They are the ones who have participated in many attacks on firefighters and police. Thus, in Breda (Netherlands), clashes with police left dozens of people injured.
Deaths linked to fireworks explosions have been reported in two Dutch cities. A 17-year-old boy from Nijmegen and a 38-year-old man from Aalsmeer were killed. In several other provinces, multiple fires broke out, destroying residential and commercial buildings, including a warehouse and a gym. Service 112's record workload has forced the Dutch Interior Ministry to ask rescuers to only respond to truly life-threatening incidents.
Hospitals in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other major cities are facing an overflow of patients with burns, eye and limb injuries. In total, more than 250 fireworks displays were recorded in the Netherlands on New Year's Eve.
In the center of Amsterdam, the historic Vondelkerk church was burned down by fireworks and its roof collapsed. NL Times writes: Although no casualties were officially registered, the mass evacuation of residents in neighboring areas due to thick smoke showed the level of danger. The publication attracted attention: for the Dutch, the church fire has deep cultural resonance, Vondelkerk is a relic of the 19th century, and this loss is considered damage to the historical heritage and cultural environment of the capital.
In the city of Bielefeld (Germany), two 18-year-old boys died while trying to set off fireworks in their yard. In several other German cities, cases of serious injuries from fireworks were reported: in Reddelich, a boy lost his arm; in Leipzig, a girl had her finger cut off. Overall, across Germany, dozens of people have been burned and injured when setting off illegal or homemade fireworks, Blue News summarizes.
In Poland, on New Year's Eve, there were also many fires caused by fireworks, killing three people.
And in Sweden, as Svenska Dagbladet writes, several people have been seriously injured by fireworks. A young man in Solny suffered burns to his face and a 30-year-old man was injured when a pyrotechnic device exploded in his kitchen.
All these events once again exacerbate the safety problem of large celebrations. European leaders are debating at their best whether it is necessary to ban fireworks and alcohol on the streets, at least in big cities. By the way, in the Netherlands, a ban on the sale of most consumer fireworks products (including firecrackers and fireworks) will come into force this year.
It also “suddenly” turned out that there were no unified fire safety standards in the European Union. And emergency services are not fully prepared for high-casualty situations. Monde newspaper criticized the authorities for inaction, including an apparent lack of coordination between different security agencies.
