King Charles has sent a message of condolence to the President of Switzerland, Guy Parmelin, following the New Year's Eve party tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where a fire broke out killing around 40 people and leaving a further 115 injured, many severely.
In a statement released on Thursday evening, the King said he was "greatly saddened" following the "utterly heartbreaking" tragedy, potentially one of Switzerland's worst.
"My wife and I were appalled, and greatly saddened, to learn of the devastating fire last night in Crans-Montana, in Switzerland," the King said.
"It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy.
"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.
"Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all those who have so tragically lost their lives and with those who remain in a critical condition in hospital."
Crans-Montana fire tragedy
A tragic fire broke out at the crowded Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana at around 1:30am local time on 1 January. Scores of young people had headed to the party venue to ring in the New Year.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, although witnesses say the flames spread rapidly. The exact death toll has not been confirmed as investigators continue to search for victims. Officials have said the identification process could take days or even weeks, and additional burns specialists from France are potentially being flown in as hospitals in the region remain under pressure.
In a press conference on Thursday, Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the fire "one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced". He said authorities were carrying out investigations into "the exact circumstances" of this incident and that a "tragedy of such a scale" must not happen again. "We owe it to victims," their families and all Swiss citizens, he said.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: "Our thoughts are with all those injured and killed in the terrible tragedy in Crans-Montana, and we pay tribute to the Swiss emergency services who are leading the response.
"We will continue to monitor the situation, and our consular staff stand ready to support any British nationals who may be affected."
Crans-Montana is an international ski resort. More than 60% of visitors come from Switzerland, while other tourists hail from Britain, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The identities or nationalities of many of the victims have not been announced yet.