Several people have been killed after an explosion at a bar in a luxury Swiss ski resort town on New Year's Day.
More than 100 people were inside a bar called Le Constellation in Crans Montana, which is popular with British tourists, when a blast caused a fire at around 1.30am on Thursday, police said.
A doctor in the Swiss air ambulance and rescue service told the national broadcaster RTS that hospitals were "overwhelmed" with burn victims.
A no-fly zone has been imposed over the town and the area has been completely closed off as helicopters and air ambulances rescue victims.
Images published by Swiss media showed a building in flames.
Swiss outlet Blick said that pyrotechnics may have been involved, citing "unconfirmed reports".
Crans Montana is a fashionable ski resort in the Valais canton, home to around 87 miles of trails. It is set to host the FIS World Cup skiing event at the end of January.
Gaetan Lathion, a police spokesman, said: "The fire started around 1.30am this morning in a bar called Le Constellation. More than a hundred people were in the building, and we are seeing many injured and many dead."
A reception centre and helpline have been setup for impacted families, the spokesman added.
"We're just at the beginning of our investigation, but this is a internationally renowned ski resort with lots of tourists," he said.
Police are set to hold a press conference at 9am UK time.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated
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