The families of teenagers missing after a fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort are agonizingly waiting for official news and appealing online for information about their loved ones.
A fire broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, in the Alps of south-west Switzerland. Verified images show bottles with sparklers holding the ceiling as they are held aloft.
Swiss officials say it could take weeks, not days, to identify the victims of the fire that killed 40 people and injured 119 others. Officials said Friday that 113 of the injured have been identified, while authorities are working to identify six others.
Meanwhile, family and friends are taking to social media to appeal for information about their loved ones who were at the bar on the night.
Address of Swiss citizens Arthur Brodard16, is currently unknown, according to the appeal of his mother, Laetitia.
A resident of Lutry, near Lausanne, told local newspaper Le Temps that she had returned to Lausanne to see if he was in hospital, while Arthur’s father had done the same in Bern but could not find him.
“I’m living a nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in critical condition. It’s terrible,” she said.
Letitia told the newspaper that some of Arthur’s friends were found with burns covering almost half of his body. “There are no words – they went to hell.”
Family members have also gone missing Emily Pralong22, who is believed to be at Le Constellation with several friends who may be missing.
His grandfather, Pierre, described the “painful” wait for information to BFMTV: “We always hope – we are full of hope. It helps to overcome any difficulty.”
He hoped he would return to hospital relatively unscathed, saying: “We must be ready to accept more difficult situations. We must not dream, we must be realistic when we face such a disaster.”
The Italian Foreign Ministry has reported that six of its citizens are missing.
Among them is Emmanuel GaleppiniA 16-year-old junior golfer, originally from Genoa but now living in Dubai.
The Italian Golf Federation said he had died without mentioning the fire, paying tribute to a “young player with passion and authentic values”.
His father, Edoardo, was quoted by Italian TV channel TG24 as saying his son was in a bar and was last heard from after midnight. A spokesman for Italy’s foreign ministry told the BBC it had not yet confirmed the death.
Another missing person is the Italian Achille Osvaldo Giovanni Barosi16, who entered the bar at 01:30 local time on New Year’s Day to retrieve his jacket and phone. Her family hasn’t heard from her since.
“We don’t know if he’s still alive,” his aunt Francesca told the BBC World Service’s OS programme.
He described his nephew, who had enrolled at an art school in Milan, as a handsome boy and an excellent painter.
“We just want to find him, and that’s it.”
Giovanni TamburiA 16-year-old is also among the missing. His mother, Carla Masiello, from Bologna, told La Repubblica that he was on holiday with his father but went out with friends and ended up in La Constellation.
“His close friend told me that they escaped after the fire and he had [his phone] with her, but then at a certain point he couldn’t see her,” she told the newspaper, adding that she wore a gold chain with a small Madonna around her neck.
Tania Caucio, one of his teachers at Porta Zaragoza High School, told La Repubblica: “I’ve always been amazed by his kindness and smile, with great maturity. Every time I go to class, he asks me if I want a coffee.”
Alice KlurgisHe, who holds dual Greek and Swiss citizenship but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also at the bar on New Year’s Eve, according to sources and reports in Greek media.
Her brother posted an appeal on Instagram, saying the family had “no news” about the 15-year-old or the three friends she was with and who had also been reported missing.
Greek consular officials said they continue to monitor the situation closely.
Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou and Isabella Bull
