Swiss ski resort fire: many of injured in life-threatening condition, say officials | Crans-Montana fire
While investigators say it could take days to identify all the victims of the fire at a crowded bar in Switzerland’s Crans-Montana ski resort, a local official said many of the injured had life-threatening injuries.
About 40 people died and about 115 were injured, many seriously, in the fire that engulfed the town’s Le Constellation bar, which was filled mostly with young revelers celebrating the new year, authorities said.
Officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire, but attention was increasingly focused on the ceiling in the bar’s basement. Eyewitnesses and mobile phone footage suggest that the fire may have been caused by sparklers or flares caught in champagne bottles.
Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais regional government, said experts used dental and DNA samples for the “grim and delicate” task of identifying badly burned bodies. “Nothing can be said to families unless we are 100 percent sure,” he said.
Valais prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said “significant resources” had been deployed to “identify the victims and return the bodies to the families as quickly as possible”. The canton’s police chief, Frédéric Gisler, said the process could take several days.
Regional health and safety official Stéphane Ganzer told RTL radio that many of the injured had not yet been identified because they did not carry identification or were lost in the fire, adding that most were in critical condition.
“I think most of the injured, maybe 80 to 100 people, have life-threatening injuries,” Ganzer said Friday. “When an adult suffers a third-degree burn to 15% or more of their body, there is a risk of death in the following days and hours.”
The victims are thought to be from many nationalities. The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens were among the injured and eight were still missing. Italy said six of its citizens were still missing and 13 were being treated in hospital. Australia announced that one of its citizens was injured in the fire.
Italian Ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado said that Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani will visit Crans-Montana on Friday. Cornado told Italian media that 47 people died in the fire, but Ganzer said Friday he was “surprised” by the figure. “This is not the same number as we have,” he told RTL radio.
The EU said it was in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance. French President Emmanuel Macron said that some of the injured were being treated in French hospitals. Others were hospitalized in Germany.
Multiple eyewitness accounts published by Swiss, French and Italian media noted restaurant staff using sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles and held high as part of a regular “show” for customers placing special orders for their tables.
Axel, one of the witnesses, said: “There were waiters carrying champagne bottles and small sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling and suddenly everything caught fire.” he told Italian media outlet Local Team.
Pilloud said inspectors will examine whether the bar meets safety standards. Images circulating on social media “look pretty clear,” Ganzer said, adding that similar flares and sparklers were found “in every disco in France, Switzerland and Europe.” He said the investigation would determine whether the material of the basement ceiling, which some images suggest was covered in the form of cladding, was safe.
Multiple sources speaking to Agence France-Presse said that the owners of the bar are two French citizens originally from Corsica. According to a relative, the couple is safe but unreachable since the fire.
Crans-Montana residents, many of whom knew the victims, were stunned by the disaster. Hundreds of people stood silently at the scene on Thursday night to pay their respects to the dead and injured.
On Friday, the pile of floral gifts outside Le Constellation bar continued to grow. “Rest in peace among the stars,” one of the messages read.
François, who did not want to give his last name, said, “I woke up around 1.30 am with a loud noise, but then everything went silent.” “I fell asleep and saw the news in the morning. Apparently so many young people lost their lives. We’ve never experienced anything like this.”
Arlino Marchese and his friend Sacha Dimic from the nearby town of Sierre were in Crans-Montana for skiing on Friday. “We used to go to Le Constellation a lot when we were younger,” Dimic said. “It was a really popular bar with a good atmosphere. So many lives lost, it’s too bad.”
“They were people like us,” said Piermarco Pani, 18, who, like many in town, knew the bar well. Dozens of people laid flowers or lit candles at the makeshift altar at the top of the road leading to the bar, which police cordoned off.
Elisa Sousa, 17, told Reuters she was supposed to be at Le Constellation on Thursday night but spent the evening at a family gathering instead. “I’ll have to thank my mother a hundred times for not leaving me,” he said during the vigil.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who visited the mountain resort on Thursday, said the country would observe five days of mourning to commemorate what he described as the most traumatic event in its history.
