CRANS MONTANA: Teenagers Eleonore and Elisa started the year with a frantic search for friends who have been missing since a deadly fire tore through a bar in a neighbouring Swiss town.

“Are they OK? Are they just at the hospital?” one of the 17-year-olds says.

They have not heard from them since a blaze tore through a New Year’s celebration in the luxury resort town of Crans Montana, turning what should have been a night of revelry into a globe-spanning tragedy.

Police estimate around 40 people have been killed and about 115 injured, many of them young visitors to the Swiss Alps.

Officials have started the arduous process of identifying the victims, but with some of the bodies badly burned, police warned the process could take days or even weeks.

Relatives and friends have been scrambling to find their loved ones, with many circulating photos on social media.

“We tried to reach them; some of their locations are still showing here,” said one of the teenagers from Valais, nodding at the bar now shielded by opaque white tarpaulins and behind a wall of temporary barriers.

“We took loads of photos [and] we put them on Instagram, Facebook, every social network possible to try to find them,” Eleonore said.

“But there’s nothing. No response. We called the parents. Nothing. Even the parents don’t know,” she added.

They managed to get news that one friend was in a coma in a hospital in the city of Lausanne.

More than 30 victims were taken to hospitals with specialised burns units in Zurich and Lausanne, and six were taken to Geneva, according to a Swiss news agency.

There is no official estimate of the missing or headcount from Le Constellation bar that night.

Italy’s ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado told AFP that five of the injured have not yet been identified.

A few hundred metres from the remnants of the burned bar, the nearby convention centre has been turned into a crisis unit.

Away from the press and guarded by police, families of the victims are received and offered assistance by authorities, diplomats and chaplains.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said the support on offer would be “long-lasting”.

Nathan, a 19-year-old who was in the bar just before it caught fire, told AFP he keeps expecting to wake up from the “nightmare”.

“It feels like… I’m going to wake up tomorrow and get all my loved ones back who sadly died in this incident,” he said.

“Normally a new year is full of happiness, but unfortunately, this has happened.”

Nick Jonas kicked off the new year on a thoughtful note, choosing introspection over resolutions.

The first morning of 2026 found the Jonas Brothers member feeling reflective as he shared a personal video message acknowledging the mixed emotions many feel at the start of the New Year.

Fresh off the debut of Gut Punch, Nick, who is married to Priyanka Chopra, recorded himself explaining the message behind his latest solo release.

“Today I am feeling all the start of the year feelings reflective, definitely like a little anxiety, but i’m just gonna kind of curb that for a minute and just say that I wanted to put Gut punch out on this day specifically for all those feelings not just for me but for all of you who might be feeling the same way,” he said in the almost one-minute clip.

He’s noted that it’s okay to feel vulnerable at the start of the year, people don’t need to be perfect to move forward, and choosing gratitude, connection, and self-compassion is enough which could still make 2026 meaningful.

“Looking yourself in the mirror and saying hey, you’re enough,” the Sucker hitmaker added before concluding, “It’s okay, you’re not defined by your hurt or your mistakes And 2026, I believe will be a great year for all of us.”

He captioned the video, “Feeling sentimental might delete later.” His latest message came the night after he treated his fans to a live version of Gut Punch, just a few hours before its debut.

On New Year’s Night, December 31, 2025 – January 1, 2026, the Jonas Brothers performed at Hard Rock Live within the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Sharing a brief clip of himself singing the new solo on stage, Nick captioned the post, “Couldn’t ask for a better way to ring in the new year than hearing these lyrics that mean so much to me being sung back. Here’s to being kinder to ourselves in 2026. Thank you. Love you.”

King Charles has expressed his sorrow following a devastating fire at a Swiss Alps ski resort that killed dozens of people during New Year’s celebrations.

In an official statement shared via Buckingham Palace in the early hours of January 2, the King shared his and Queen Camilla’s condolences after a blaze tore through a packed bar in Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year’s Day, according to official statements.

“My wife and I were appalled, and greatly saddened, to learn of the devastating fire last night in Crans-Montana, in Switzerland,” His Majesty said. “It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy.”

The fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. local time at Le Constellation bar, just as crowds were ringing in the New Year. Swiss outlet Blick reported the blaze may have started when fireworks were set off inside during a concert, though authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause. Images circulating on social media appeared to show a ceiling catching fire after a “waiter held up sparkler in champagne bottle.”

Police believe around 40 people lost their lives, with approximately 100 others injured, many critically. Victims have not yet been formally identified due to the severity of their burns, and officials confirmed that some of the dead were foreign nationals. Emergency services deployed 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances to the scene.

King Charles praised those who responded to the disaster, saying, “While offering our admiration for the heroic first responders and the selfless emergency services, we wanted, above all, to convey our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have been so dreadfully affected by this horrific disaster.”