Over 30 fire victims in special centers Swiss hospitals at the limit after New Year's Eve accident in Valais
The University Hospitals of Zurich and Lausanne are currently treating over 30 seriously injured patients following the devastating fire in Crans-Montana. Both hospitals are working in crisis mode - and are expecting more patients.
01.01.2026, 14:17
01.01.2026, 16:21
SDA
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- Following the fire in Crans-Montana, dozens of injured people are receiving medical treatment in the specialized burn centers in Lausanne, Zurich and Geneva.
- The hospitals have increased their capacities, activated contingency plans and are expecting further transfers of patients.
- An exact assessment of the severity of the injuries is not yet possible; ongoing triage and medical evaluations will determine further treatment.
Following the fire in a bar in Crans-Montana VS on New Year's Eve, dozens of injured people are being treated in the two Swiss burn centers. In Lausanne, 22 patients are currently being cared for. Zurich has taken in over a dozen burn victims.
The seriously injured were transported by rescue helicopter from Valais to the burn centers at the University Hospitals of Zurich and Lausanne (Chuv). These are the only two centers in Switzerland that specialize in burn injuries.
Both hospitals are expecting further admissions and have increased their capacities. The rescue helicopters are constantly flying in new burn victims from Crans-Montana, a spokesperson for Zurich University Hospital told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request. By midday on Thursday, there were already over a dozen. Six patients are also being cared for at Geneva University Hospital (HUG).
Chuv in crisis mode
In western Switzerland, those affected are receiving medical care at the burn center at Chuv and in the intensive care units for adults and children at this hospital. According to information from the Chuv, all of the planned patients have currently been admitted. No further casualties are expected in the next few hours, although subsequent transfers of burn victims from other hospitals are still possible.
"We were informed by Valais before the patients arrived and had to transfer them to make room. We have mobilized additional teams and set up a crisis plan," said Chuv Director Claire Charmet on the "Le 12h30" programme on RTS television in French-speaking Switzerland.
Currently, the emergency rooms for adults and children are functioning normally, and patients can visit the Chuv if necessary. "We will take stock in the next 24 hours to see how long we can keep this up, whether patients can stay here, whether certain foreign patients can be transferred to a center for severely burned patients in their country of origin," said Charmet.
Valais cantonal hospital has activated disaster plan
It is currently too early to make a statement about the severity of the injuries, emphasizes the director. The patients are being evaluated by the doctors on an ongoing basis.
The triage center in Valais has made an initial assessment of the patients. Depending on the severity and type of injury, they were then allocated to those centers that had the necessary resources.
The hospital in Sion, which admitted the majority of the victims, activated the disaster plan. The Geneva University Hospital (HUG) has also been mobilized. It is currently treating six patients, four of whom were brought in by helicopter and two by ambulance, a spokeswoman told Keystone-SDA.
