According to Swiss newspaper NZZ, Parmelin postponed his New Year’s address, which had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Swiss public broadcast SRF reported that authorities ruled out any sort of attack. As of Thursday afternoon, authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire, but said that the fire spread instantaneously and caused “one or several” explosions.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his condolences. “To Switzerland, to its people and to its authorities, I convey the full solidarity of France and our fraternal support,” he wrote on X. Two French people are among the injured.
Former Swiss President and Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset called the incident a “tragedy,” while neighboring Italy’s leader Giorgia Meloni said she was “closely following the situation in order to gather all the information on the incident and the possible involvement of our fellow citizens.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also expressed his condolences for the victims’ families, as did Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.