Four more Italians injured in Swiss fire will be flown to Milan, Lombardy welfare chief says

Four more Italian patients injured in the Swiss deadly fire are set to be transferred to Milan's Niguarda Hospital, the Assessor of Welfare of Lombardy Region, Guido Bertolaso, said on Friday (January 2).

Around 40 people were killed and over 100 injured when a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana during a New Year's Eve party, Swiss officials said on Thursday (January 1).

Six Italian nationals are still missing and 13 hospitalised, Italy's ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado said. Three Italians were repatriated on Thursday, with four more to follow on Friday.

"There are six others who have been identified and are to remain in Switzerland," Bertolaso said, explaining that transferring them was not possible due to their serious condition.

Police said the fire broke out at 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) as revellers were celebrating in a bar called Le Constellation in the upscale resort in southwestern Switzerland, which locals said was popular with teenagers.

The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remained unclear, but authorities said the fire appeared to be an accident rather than an attack.

Production: Matteo Negri/Reuters