Five missing after fire in Swiss Alpine town
Five people are missing and eight others injured after fire completely destroyed a restaurant with apartments in the Swiss town of Thusis, in the Alpine Graubünden region. The blaze, which broke out on the second floor, prompted a large emergency response and comes as the popular tourist region grapples with the aftermath of a serious incident affecting both residents and visitors.
Police were called just after midnight local time (22:00 GMT on Thursday) and nearly 100 firefighters attended the scene. The building's stairwell collapsed, forcing crews to use a crane to open the roof. Fourteen people escaped, including two seriously injured, two moderately injured and four with minor injuries, who were taken to hospitals in Chur, Thusis, Ilanz and Zurich. Police and the public prosecutor's office are investigating the cause of the fire, with initial findings pointing to the second floor as the source.
- Fire destroys restaurant and flats in Thusis, Switzerland
- Five people missing, eight injured, building's stairwell collapsed
- Nearly 100 firefighters responded; cause still under investigation
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Fire crews were called out overnight after a blaze tore through a building housing a restaurant and flats in Thusis, a town in Switzerland's Graubünden region, an area known for Alpine tourism. The fire took hold on the second floor and spread quickly enough to destroy the building, drawing a response from nearly 100 firefighters.
Emergency services managed to get most of those inside out safely, though several people were hurt and had to be treated for injuries ranging from minor to serious. At the time the fire broke out, the building's stairwell gave way, which complicated the rescue effort and meant crews had to find other ways to reach people trapped inside.
Graubünden is a mountainous canton popular with holidaymakers, so buildings like this one often house a mix of local residents, staff and visitors. Swiss police and prosecutors are responsible for establishing how such fires start, which is why an investigation into the cause is now under way alongside the search for anyone still unaccounted for.