Swiss Investigators Rush to Identify Victims of New Year’s Fire

AFP/APP

Crans-Montana: Investigators raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year’s celebration into one of the country’s worst tragedies.

It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, which killed around 40 people and injured about 115 others, many seriously.

Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break windows to escape, while others, covered in burns, poured into the street.

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, leaving an agonising wait for family and friends.

“We’ve tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook — all possible social networks — to try to find them,” said Eleonore, 17.

“But there’s nothing. No response.

“Even the parents don’t know,” she added.

The exact number of people who were inside the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.

According to the Crans-Montana website, Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 on its terrace.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took office on Thursday, called the fire “a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions” and announced that flags would be flown at half-mast for five days.

Local police commander Frederic Gisler said authorities were “in close contact with the victims’ families, whom we are informing in real time, as well as with the various embassies involved”.

“Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims,” he told reporters.

The canton’s chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said significant resources had been deployed “to identify the victims and return their bodies to the families as quickly as possible”.

‘The Apocalypse’

The fire broke out around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists.

“We thought it was just a small fire — but when we got there, it was war,” said Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d’en-Bas.

“That’s the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse. It was terrible.”

Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.

Several witness accounts broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media pointed to sparklers apparently mounted on champagne bottles held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular “show” for patrons who made special orders at their tables.

“There were waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire,” Axel, a witness present at the time, told Italian outlet Local Team.

Pilloud said the investigation would examine whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.

Red-and-white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens.

After emergency units at local hospitals filled up, many of the injured were transported across Switzerland and to neighbouring countries.

The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were being treated in French hospitals.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians were injured in the fire, with a similar number still missing.

The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens were among the injured, while eight others remained unaccounted for.

Multiple sources told AFP that the bar owners are French nationals — a couple originally from Corsica — who, according to a relative, are safe but have been unreachable since the tragedy.