Footballers missing and one in critical condition following deadly Crans-Montana fire

Martin Macdonald

• 2 Jan 2026 10:01 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

Forty people have died and over a hundred more have been left injured after a deadly explosion and fire at a ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

The explosion occurred at around 01:30 local time in the Constellation Bar.

There has been an outpouring of grief around Europe for those who died and who are fighting for their lives and the football world hasn't been unaffected, too.

Young FC Metz star Tahirys Dos Santos was in the blaze and is currently is a specialised burns unit in Germany.

His agent, Christophe Hutteau, detailed to RMC Sport what the last few hours have been like.

"The day was particularly painful. In such circumstances, you must try to reassure parents even if the words may seem futile," he said.

"Fortunately, the management of FC Metz, which I met today, was of a nameless class. I have been in football for 40 years, I have experienced many situations and I must admit that the humanity of this club has particularly touched me.

"I know that the exchanges that took place between Tahirys' parents and the president or sporting director of FC Metz were of a humanity... congratulations to the leaders of FC Metz.

"Contrary to what many people can imagine, football is not only an environment of self-centered people, of navelists, it is also a very human environment.

Le #FCMetz a la douleur d’annoncer que Tahirys Dos Santos, joueur stagiaire du club, a été blessé lors de l’incendie survenu à Crans-Montana.

L'ensemble du club unit ses pensées pour les adresser à Tahirys, dans ces heures où il combat la souffrance.

— FC Metz ☨ (@FCMetz) January 1, 2026

"I did not talk to him. He was unable to express himself. I had his parents throughout the day, they kept me informed of the evolution of his state of health. They were warned this morning around 6:30 a.m. of what had just happened and the state in which Tahirys was.

"They immediately took the road from Lorraine to Sion, where he was hospitalised. In the evening, he was transferred to Stuttgart, to a hospital capable of accommodating severe burns. Tahirys' parents are currently on the road between Switzerland and Germany. It is not excluded that he will have to undergo surgery tonight, which would consist of a transplant. It is still much too early to learn more about what will happen."

Other young footballers missing

There are apparently several other young footballers missing who also attended the New Year's Eve party in Crans-Montana.

Foot Mercato reports that 12 players from lower division side FC Lutry had been at the bar and only seven or eight are accounted for, with a handful still missing.

"As far as I know, one of them is being treated in the hospital. But as for the other three or four, there is still no news," said FC Lutry president Stéphane Bizet told reporters.

The fire was apparently started by sparklers inside champagne bottles.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais attorney general, says officials "are pursuing several hypotheses; no scenario is being ruled out".

"We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling," she continued.

"This caused the fire to spread quickly. Initial evidence has been secured at the scene."