Mourners gather at mass for Swiss bar fire victims

On the snow-covered street outside St Christopher’s Church, hundreds of people attended a special Sunday service for those killed in the fire at Le Constellation bar on New Year’s Eve.

Many hugged each other, crying silently as they remembered the dozens of people killed and those still fighting for their lives in the hospital with severe burns.

During the ceremony, several people in the crowd fainted and fell to the ground.

More than 20 of those killed have been identified, police said, although their names have not been made public. Their bodies are handed over to their families; Some held out hope that their children might be found injured but alive.

Now they’re getting the worst possible news.

Since the fire, Laetitia Brodard had been posting pictures of her teenage son Arthur online and asking for help finding him. He was comforted by friends at his memorial service Sunday.

“He died that first day,” Laetitia confirmed to me.

In an emotional statement on Facebook, she said Arthur was “going to a party in heaven”.

The victims’ bodies were so badly burned in the fire that it is difficult to identify them. The names of some of the injured in hospitals have not yet been released; They are unconscious and unrecognizable.

While forensic experts have to use DNA samples and dental records for the dead, this wait is agonizing for families.

That night the bar was full of young people, mostly teenagers. The drinking age in Switzerland is 16.

Some of the survivors took part in a silent march from the church to the bar after Sunday Mass. Above, in the stunningly beautiful Swiss Alps, cable cars carrying ski tourists were heading up the mountain.

The area where the fire occurred is still protected behind white plastic sheeting, but in front of it are piles of flowers and soft toys in a shrine that continues to grow.

Among the bouquets are handwritten notes with names and photographs.

At one point the crowd began applauding: A large group of uniformed firefighters and rescue workers had arrived at the memorial and were standing arm in arm, crying.

A rescue worker who was considering quitting his job after what he experienced here said that he and his colleagues are now a giant family.

“I need them, they need me,” she said through tears. “All my thoughts go out to the victims and their families. I’m so sorry.”

We spoke to young people who saw people running from the burning bar and described horrific scenes they say they will never forget.

A criminal investigation has now been opened. The bar owners, a French couple, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, arson and causing bodily harm.

Police and prosecutors are reviewing footage taken at Le Constellation that shows the moment the fire started, with bar staff being carried on the shoulders of others and handing out champagne bottles with sparklers attached to them.

Sparks appeared to ignite the ceiling, which was covered with foam for sound insulation, and the flames spread very quickly.

Inspectors will examine whether the foam and other materials meet safety standards.

They will examine possible overcrowding, access to basement emergency exits, and the availability of fire extinguishers.

In some videos, young people can be seen desperately trying to extinguish the fire with their t-shirts. Initially, most people did not realize the great danger and instead of running away, they continued to dance and even film the fire.

On Sunday, a group of men, some with their faces covered with black scarves, formed a semicircle to honor a man killed at the bar whom locals called “Stefi.”

“We’re here for our colleague,” one of them said, struggling to speak. “Stefi was his last farewell. May he now rest in peace.”

“It was important to be here with the families. We can’t change things, we can just be here,” Diana said, after praying hand in hand with two other women for a group of friends still in the hospital.

“We just hope they make it.”

“We’re not angry,” Diana told me. “But we believe that the police will do their job well and we hope that justice will be served.”