ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed solidarity with Switzerland after an explosion at the bar of a ski resort in the country killed at least 40 people and injured 100. 

The explosion occurred at a crowded bar during a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana on Wednesday night, Swiss authorities said. The fire broke out at 1.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in a bar called “Le Constellation” in southwestern Switzerland.

Swiss authorities say they are still investigating the cause of the blast, saying it appears to be an accident. 

“Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic fire incident at a ski resort in Switzerland on New Year night,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 

“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and pray for the early recovery of the injured. We stand in solidarity with the Swiss Government and the people of Switzerland at this difficult time.”

https://x.com/CMShehbaz/status/2006677928663462347

Frederic Gisler, the head of police of Valais canton, said patients had been dispatched to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich. 

“Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and unfortunately tens of people are presumed dead,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters. 

Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said fireworks may have caused the explosion.

“It seems to have been an accident caused by a fire, by some explosion, by some firecracker thrown during New Year’s celebrations,” he told Italy’s Sky TG24 tv channel.