Five People Missing After Massive Fire Tears Through Swiss Restaurant Building

(Building on Fire. Photo by BBC)

A fire has d£stroyed a restaurant building with apartments above it in a Swiss town, leaving five people missing and eight others hurt.

The blaze happened in Thusis, a town in the eastern Alpine region of the country.

Police say the fire started on the second floor, though investigators are still trying to work out exactly what caused it.

Emergency services got the call just after midnight and sent nearly 100 firefighters to the scene.

The roof had caved in, so rescue workers had to use a crane to open it up after the stairwell collapsed.

Fourteen people managed to escape the building. Of those, two were seriously hurt, two had moderate injuries, and four had minor injuries.

Those who were hurt were taken to hospitals in several nearby towns and in Zurich.

The area where the fire happened is part of the Graubünden region, a popular destination for tourists visiting for winter sports and summer hiking and outdoor activities.

Police and the prosecutor's office are continuing their investigation into how the fire started.