Families and friends are facing a harrowing wait for news as Swiss authorities continue the complex process of identifying victims of the devastating fire that tore through a popular bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve. The blaze at Le Constellation bar claimed about 40 lives and left 80 people critically injured.
A Community United in Grief and Desperate Search
The collective grief in the Swiss Alpine resort was palpable on Friday, with residents and relatives of the missing gathering near the charred scene to lay floral tributes and light candles. The tragedy has hit a young, international community particularly hard, with many victims and those unaccounted for in their teens and early twenties.
Among them is a group of 15 friends who had travelled from Milan, Italy, to celebrate. While eight escaped the inferno and three were among the critically injured, four from the group remained missing as of Friday evening. They include 16-year-olds Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo. Two older friends, Marco, 20, and Gabriele, 18, narrowly avoided the disaster after a last-minute decision not to go to the bar shortly after midnight. "Sometimes that is how destiny plays out," Gabriele said at the tribute site. "It is devastating."
International Victims and the Agonising Wait for Answers
The first victim to be publicly identified was 17-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, an international golfer who lived in Dubai. His family confirmed the news, which was also announced by the Italian Golf Federation.
A British-educated teenager, Charlotte Niddam, believed to be 15, is also reported missing. A spokesperson for Immanuel College in Bushey, Hertfordshire, where she was formerly a pupil, asked the community to keep her and her family in their thoughts and prayers. "We are all praying for a miracle for Charlotte and the others," the statement said.
Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, is another young person sought by his desperate family. His mother, Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, appealed for information on social media and to newspapers after searching hospitals in Lausanne and Berne. The grandfather of 22-year-old French woman Emilie Pralong described an "agonising" wait for information about her whereabouts.
Investigation Points to Sparklers and Acoustic Foam
Swiss prosecutors have revealed that their initial investigation suggests the fire was started by sparklers placed in the tops of champagne bottles, which were then moved too close to the venue's ceiling. "From that a blaze began very quickly," said Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general for Valais canton.
The investigation is also examining whether acoustic foam pictured on the ceiling complied with safety regulations and whether it contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. Officials have warned that identifying the deceased and the remaining injured, many of whom suffered severe burns, could take several days.
Of the 119 people injured, 113 have been formally identified. The nationalities of the injured include 71 Swiss, 14 French, 11 Italian, and four Serbian citizens, among others.
One survivor, Ludovico, who had driven from Rome with friends, noted that placing candles or sparklers on champagne bottles was a common celebration practice in nightclubs. "The difference in those places," he observed, "is that the ceilings are much higher."
As the resort of Crans-Montana tries to come to terms with the scale of the loss, the community is united in shock and mourning. "I'm still trying to digest it," said local resident Jacques. "It's the grief, as if we have all lost a loved one."
