Fire in bar: Switzerland tries to identify victims of fire at New Year’s party; about 40 died

Fire on New Year’s Eve kills 40 people in a bar in a ski resort in Switzerland Swiss authorities were fighting against time this Friday (2) to identify the approximately 40 fatal victims of the fire in a bar in the luxurious ski resort of Crans-Montana on Thursday (1st). The tragedy occurred during a New Year’s party at the Le Constellation bar, which is located at the station, and local police say there were at least 40 deaths, in addition to 115 injuries, most seriously. The work of identifying the bodies was made difficult due to the condition of the bodies, according to the Swiss police. This is because the fire spread quickly throughout the bar during the party, according to investigations. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but survivors report that a birthday candle burning near the wooden ceiling may have started the fire. The Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office speaks of an accidental fire. With capacity for 300 people inside and another 40 on the balcony, the establishment was very popular with foreign tourists, particularly young people. Witnesses described scenes of panic and chaos, with people trying to break windows to escape and others running through the streets with many burns in the Swiss Alps town. Police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify all the victims, a harrowing wait for families and friends. “We tried to locate our friends. We took a lot of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook and every social network possible to try to find them,” said 17-year-old Eleonore. “But there’s nothing. No answer.” The exact number of people who were in the bar has not yet been determined, and police have not said how many remain missing. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took office on Thursday, called the incident “a calamity of unprecedented and terrifying proportions.” He announced that flags will remain flown at half-mast for five days. “Behind the numbers there are faces, names, families, lives brutally interrupted, completely paralyzed or changed forever,” he said at a press conference. Local police commander Frédéric Gisler added that, “given the international character of Crans station, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims.” He explained that authorities are in contact with the “different embassies involved”, especially the French and Italian ones, which reported citizens among the injured. Red and white caution ribbons, flowers and candles were placed this Friday on the street of the tragedy. Police cordoned off the scene of the fire. – “Apocalypse” – The fire started at around 1:30 am GMT (9:30 pm on Wednesday in Brasília) in the Le Constellation bar. “We thought it was just a small fire, but when we got there it was a tragedy. That’s the only word I can use to describe it: apocalypse. It was terrible,” Mathys, a resident of the nearby town of Chermignon-d’en-Bas, told AFP. Nathan, who visited the bar before the fire, saw burned people leaving the place. “They asked for help, they screamed for help,” he said. Authorities refused to speculate on the causes of the tragedy and said only that it was not an attack. The Valais regional minister responsible for security, Stéphane Ganzer, cited an explosion, but said it was a consequence of the fire in the bar. Several testimonies, published by the press in Switzerland, France and Italy, point to flares placed in champagne bottles that bar staff raised into the air as part of a regular “show” for customers who placed special orders at the tables. “There were some ladies, employees, with bottles of champagne with little flares. They got very close to the ceiling and, suddenly, it caught fire,” Axel, who was at the scene during the tragedy, told the Italian publication Local Team. The canton’s attorney general, Béatrice Pilloud, said the investigation will determine whether the bar complied with safety standards and had the required number of exits. The emergency service at the main hospital in the Valais region was overwhelmed and some injured people were transferred to Lausanne, Geneva or Zurich, and even to France and Italy. The European Union (EU) reported that it is in contact with the Swiss authorities to provide medical assistance. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Rete 4 that 15 Italians were injured in the fire and a similar number remain missing. The French Foreign Ministry reported that nine French citizens were among the injured and eight remained missing. Several sources told AFP that the owners of the bar are French citizens: a couple who, according to a relative, escaped unharmed, but it has not been possible to contact them since the tragedy. bur-nl/rjm/lb/abs/arm/sag/fp

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